Beyond Help
by EdgyPixel
Summary: One morning Death City was buzzing, the next day it's a ghost town, leaving 7 meisters and weapons. They now face a new enemy, but will they also have to find a new way to defend themselves? Eventual KiMa (which is why I wrote this, so it's my ultimate focus more or less) Character deaths, but not anyone major. Zombies. Yes, Zombies. And not the 'Sid' kind.
1. Chapter 1

"Maka! On your left!" Called a muffled voice from the girl's scythe. Acknowledging the warning, she dodged the deformed man with ease, sending the blade straight through his stomach. There was a harsh, demonic screech as the man erupted into a mess of black smoke and finally a glowing orb.

"Aww c'mon, Maka! You took all the fun!" Complained a blue haired boy, revealing himself from the shadows. "And I was just about to try out my new technique.." He muttered, throwing his demon blade carelessly were it stuck in the soil just before turning into a beautiful black haired women.

"Sorry," The blonde meister, Maka, said sheepishly, a hand rubbing the back of her neck. "I just saw an opening and took it." Her demon scythe was now in his human form and devouring the glowing orb of a soul whole.

"It's ok, Blackstar. I'm sure there's more kishin eggs were that came from." The black haired women chimed in, attempting to cheer up the pouting assassin.

"I can't understand for the life of me why father would send our whole team for such a simple mission anyways." A black haired boy with three white, perfect half lines of sanzu on the side of his head, who until now, had been silent, spoke up, tossing up two transforming twin pistols in the air.

"Team building?" Maka offered.

"Maybe… It's just, lately, I've been noticing father's seemed a bit… off." The boy continued, vacantly fussing over a small cowlick on the side of his head with his hand.

"So you've noticed it, too?" The blonde's scythe, a white haired boy with seemingly glowing red eyes added in. "Things at the academy itself have been off. Missions have gotten easier, and a hell of a lot closer for that matter. I remember when we'd have to travel all day to get to a destination, now it seems like their all right in our backyard."

"It's probably just slow times right now?" Maka tried, half heartedly.

"Maybe… I don't know, I just have a bad feeling; though it may be just that, a feeling." The boy took in his surroundings before summoning his demon skateboard, Beelzebub, and boarded it. "Liz, Patti." He called, beckoning his weapons, only to look down in horror as Patti, the younger of the two pistols, drew stick figures in yellow crayon on his shoe. Liz, the elder, bit her lip to hold back imminent laughter. "P-patti… Wh-what have you done?" He asked, his tone grim.

"Look Kid! Its me and you and Liz and-" She stopped mid sentence once she caught sight of his face, which now resembled that of a child who had just had their block tower knocked down. Patti attempted to wipe the crayon off, still giggling, but only managed to make matter worse by smudging the yellow wax deeper into the polished shoe. In a single movement, Kid snatched the crayon from Patti and made a similar, but not quite the same, smudge mark, all the while muttering something about asymmetrical garbage. Sighing in dismay, he glared at Patti, then looked back at the half annoyed, half amused crowd.

"Right then. I will see you all tomorrow, seeing as I now have to return home and appropriately dress myself." He growled the last few words at Patti, now in pistol form.

* * *

The next day seemed normal at the start, Maka had woken up early, fixed breakfast for Soul and herself and checked over her schoolbag for all the essentials, but she couldn't shake what Kid had mentioned early. She felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. Something was off. Sid, the assistant teacher had been gone for days, Professor Stein's Soul felt off balanced in a way and Lord Death _had _been sending them on odd missions lately. "Soul, breakfast is ready." She called to her partner somewhere in the distance.

After eating a quick breakfast, Maka and Soul hopped on the back of the motorcycle and drove to the academy. Once the duo reached the doors, they stared at them in shock. A poorly hand written note was pasted to the closed academy doors.

Dear students,

I'm sorry to announce that classes with be cancelled for today. It seems

certain circumstance have occurred leaving me no choice but to close

the academy for a single day. Please enjoy and take advantage of this

much needed and unexpected break. Be ready for classes tomorrow!

Lord Death

"Father's penmanship has always been so messily asymmetrical." Kid's voice came from behind Maka and Soul, causing them to jump. Maka noticed Kid's voice was off, his mind was defiantly on other things. "Something's wrong, I'm sure of it now; And I have a feeling the Academy won't be closed for just today."

"What's going on? Is it a Kishin? Witch?" Soul asked, looking to Kid for answers. "What's so important that they had to shut down the academy? Not that I'm complaining; it just seems so odd."

Kid sighed. "I don't think it's anything of the sort, but I don't know for sure. If it was something like that, we'd be called in to help…"

"Your god has arrived!" Blackstar announced, Tsubaki standing behind him, shaking her head, obviously embarrassed. "Huh?" Blackstar tilted his head and looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"My father has decided to close the academy for the day. I-"

"Yaahoo!" Blackstar howled, literally jumping in excitement. "I can finally finish practicing that new move!"

Soul and Blackstar began talking adamantly about new fighting techniques. Liz and Patti transformed from thier pistol forms, taking their own look at the note. Kid brought his hand up to his mouth in a pondering gesture as he looked around the deserted campus. "Hey, Maka?" He asked. "How long were you and Soul here before I showed up?"

"Not long, maybe a minute or two, why?"

"And did you see anyone on your way here? Not necessarily anyone from the academy, but anyone in general?" He continued, ignoring her question.

Maka thought back to their ride up to the school, now that she thought about it... "No, actually, we didn't." Maka stated, thinking back.

"Maka look out!" Soul screeched, tackling Maka just in time to miss a disfigured woman. The woman turned her head back and forth from the open space in front of her and the teens that were now readying themselves for battle. Finally deciding to stay she turned to the small group on taloned, eagle like feet.

"I suppose I ought to stock up on human souls before they are hard to come by." She grinned, teeth pointing in every direction.

"Hard to come by? What does she mean?" Tsubaki asked from Blackstar's grip.

"Oh, so it's true?" The woman croaked, her voice distorted through a sneer. "Death City really has been cut off from… Outside activities." The woman threw her head back as her body began to morph into what seemed to be a scorpion. "No matter. You won't live long enough to realize it anyways."

Taking her chance while the beast was distracted, Maka ran around her side, scythe raised, just to meet air as the scorpion woman moved at break neck speeds. She landed shoulder first, in the dirt, and jumped back up again, repositioning her weapon in a more comfortable grip. She tried her attack again, this time from the back, only to meet the same fate. "Your too slow, Maka." Blackstar sneered, readying himself for an attack. "Tsubaki, Demon sword!" Blackstar ran at the woman, considerably faster than Maka, but was only thrown back against a rock by the woman's poisonous tail.

"Death by poison always taints the soul." She remarked, looking at the now unconscious Blackstar. Maka, taking her second opening, ran at the demon, leaped into the air and dug her blade in the ground were the woman had been mere moments ago, just seconds too late.

"Maka, let me handle it." Kid called, much to Maka's opposition. "Let's face it, I have a better chance of hitting it than you do striking it with Soul." Kid twirled his pistols around before the rested in their respective positions at his pinkies.

"Mmm… A reaper's soul?" The demon scorpion hissed, her attention now fixed on Kid. Maka, determined to help out, charged at the demon once more, only to receive a thick tail lashing her back, sending her flying across the clearing.

"Maka! Stay back!" Kid yelled as he missed the shot due to the beast's sudden movement. The scorpion legs on the woman grew larger and longer as the lower half of her body shifted into a spider, Kid looked at her as if he was going to be sick. Slightly wincing as the woman made her way towards him, he took a final shot and it was all over. Her body exploded into smoke only leaving her soul in its place.

Kid threw his twin pistols in the air were they landed firmly with their feet on the ground. Soul helped Maka up and Tsubaki was trying to help Blackstar regain consciousness. 'Death City has been cut off? Human souls hard to come by?' Kid replayed the words over and over in his head. Something was wrong. Something was _seriously _wrong.

* * *

Done with chapter one! Ok, so this is a complete shot in the dark here; and this is also what happens when your thinking of KidxMaka while watching World War Z. Soul Eater meets Zombies? And not 'Sid' zombies? I think yes. Sorry for the OOC. I'm really not trying to make it seem like Maka is needy and can't fight, its just I'm trying to get the plot bunny to work its magic here. And I also suck at writing fight scenes. And also, I promise, though it may not seem like it, this fic will be filled with KiMa goodness, fluff, comfort, protectiveness, the works. Just, It may take a few chapters to even start ^^ I love reviews! Please let me know if you think I should continue :3


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, thanks for the reviews! I don't think I could thank you guys enough for them! I was really considering not continuing because I thought no one would read it… But you guys have proven me wrong. Again, thank you so much and tips, suggestions and comments are always greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

* * *

"42-42-564." Maka called aloud to herself, writing the corresponding numbers on a foggy window of a now abandon pastry shop. Nothing happened. Just as they had feared, Death City truly did seem to be deserted. Streets that were generally crowded with smiling faces and littered with meaningless chatter were now vacant to everything but the occasional tumbling soda can.

"Let me try." Kid closed his eyes before summoning a large portal that would allow him to communicate with his father, but much to his dismay, it was nothing but static. Kid closed his hand and the portal vanished. "I think we should get out of Death City." He concluded.

"Leave Death City? But why?" Liz asked, hands on her almost bare hips.

"Something is horribly wrong." Kid stated. "I can't sense any souls."

"Well maybe everyone is just at a gathering or something away from here. It could be anything." Soul shrugged, obviously not worried about it, though he would admit, something was off.

"No… Not like that." Maka spoke up. "He means he physically can't detect them anymore. Neither can I. The only way I can really describe it is like trying to see through a thick fog. I can see everyone here's souls, but everything else is just a haze… Either way, I don't think we should leave Death City."

"Maka, listen. I don't think it's safe here." Kid tried, but Maka shook her head.

"This is the safest place we could be right now. If something really is going on, I'm sure Lord Death can handle it, but he'd want us to stay right here, for when he needs us." Things were quiet after the blonde spoke until Soul nodded.

"Makas right. Lord Death might need us." The white-haired boy agreed. Kid sighed. Of course the group would follow Maka, not that Kid had any bitter feelings towards the girl, (well maybe a little, but just about the battle earlier) but he knew the group would walk in line behind Maka, no matter how rebellious a certain blue haired boy may act at times.

"Alright. But at least let us stay together. I believe I have more than enough room at my mansion. Go to your apartments and get everything you may need, and meet back up at my place." Kid offered. Everyone, even a reluctant Maka nodded.

"First telling me to back away while in battle and now this?" Maka said bitterly, Soul at her side, on the way up the stairs to their apartment.

"I don't know Maka, but you gotta admit, things are a little weird around here." Soul offered.

"Maybe, but it's Lord Death were talking about here, does the guy have no faith in his father at all?" Soul shrugged, knowing only time could relax his meister. The pair walked into their apartment and began packing things such as clothes, toiletries and other essentials before returning to the base of the staircase next to Souls bike.

"It is a little creepy, huh?" Maka whispered, looking up and down the desolated street.

"Yeah. Maybe it is a good idea we stick together." Soul added.

"Yeah, maybe." Maka nodded, boarding the bike after Soul. Without traffic, the weapon and meister pair reached Death the Kid's mansion in no time. As the rumble of the bike stopped, the pair slide off its back and stood in awe of the giant house before them.

"Wow, I forgot how big this place really was." Soul commented as his meister nodded in agreement.

Upon entering the manor, the two were greeted by a very disgruntled Liz. It seemed upon Blackstar's arrival, he had already managed to make the house, in Kid's words, asymmetrical garbage; his worst offense being that he failed to fold the toilet paper into a triangle. "What's even worse," Liz continued as she led Maka and Soul into the beautiful living room, " it seems Patti is feeding off Blackstar's energy, which Blackstar is taking in as some weird sort of praise. I swear, it's like a ping-pong match of energy between the two, with Kid as the obsessive compulsive referee! And to think, it's only been 15 minutes." Liz sighed in defeat, sitting next to Tsubaki on a couch opposite Maka and Soul. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Later that evening, Maka was called in the kitchen to help Tsubaki and Kid prepare dinner. Maka had always heard from Blackstar that Tsubaki was an excellent cook, but it came to her surprise that Kid himself was a brilliant cook as well. Maka was in charge of cutting and putting together the vegetables for the salad, Tsubaki was getting out all the raw ingredients for lasagna and Kid was making a special, homemade tomato sauce. It wasn't long until the trio had prepared a multi layered (8, to Kid's approval) lasagna and fresh house salad.

"You sure now how to serve guests, Kid!" Soul mumbled through a mouthful of food in approval. "And you can cook! Unlike tiny tits over there." Soul said jokingly.

Kid looked a little disapproved, but still muttered a small "Thank you" before Maka made contact with a book to Soul's skull. "I'm sorry to say, though," Kid spoke up. "I only have 2 spare bedrooms, so it'll be two to a room."

"Soul and I will share!" Blackstar said through a second helping of lasagna, Soul just nodded in agreement.

"Fine with me, I'll share with Tsubaki!"Maka said with a smile, looking over at her friend who returned it.

"Sleepover! Sleepover!" Patti laughed.

"You know, Patti has a point." Liz said, thinking it over. "We should take advantage of this. Nails, make-up, gossip; the works!" Tsubaki and Maka shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Then its settled, we call the big guest room, boys!"

Blackstar and Soul didn't seem to care much about anything other than stuffing their faces. Liz and Patti both left the room in favor of setting up the larger guest room. "I guess that makes sense." Kid stated after the two had left the room.

"What makes sense?" Tsubaki asked.

"Well, think about it, before they lived here, the Thompson sister were on the streets. I don't think they saw many slumber parties." Kid sighed. "But I, on the other hand, will pass, and retire to my own room." He continued, picking up all the dirty dishes and returning them to the kitchen. Tsubaki and Maka helped Kid with the dishes a litte while after that, before being pulled upstairs by the ecstatic twin pistols to a black and white room now filled with nail polish, make up, a stack of dvds, magazines and various junk food. Maka smiled at the rest of the girl and helped pick out a movie, 'She's the Man,' before they all changed into their pajamas.

Not long after the movie started, Maka excused herself to the restroom. She didn't really have to go, she really just wanted to get away from all the polish fumes. Curiosity piqued her interest when the blonde came around to a door that was half way cracked open. Looking back and forth down the hallway and kneading vacantly at the hem of her shirt, she debated whether to look in the room or not. She had no idea what was in there, but it simply beckoned her, the door being cracked and all. Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked closer to the door, just close enough to peer inside. She quickly realized it was Kid's room when she saw him stretched out on his bed in pajama pants and a book rested between his hands on his bare stomach. Averting her eyes of the half-dressed boy before her face became too red, she looked around the rest of his room, which was lined with shelves and shelves of books, all organized according to size.

"I know there's someone out there." Kid's voice called, echoing inside his massive room.

Maka's eyes widened and her face reddened. She'd been caught. Now, to play it off. "Wow… So many books…" Maka said, fully stepping inside the room.

"Oh it's you, Maka. Thank death you're not Blackstar." Kid rolled his eyes. "Oh, and this? It's nothing. Not compared to the library." He chuckled.

"W-Well, I'm sorry to bother you…" Maka said, taking a few step backwards.

"You didn't bother me." Kid replied simply. "Oh, and uh… Sorry for yelling at you, earlier with the kishin…" He offered awkwardly.

"Yeah, I-it's ok," Maka said, beginning to feel guilty that she had been talking bad about him before to Soul.

"I was just worried you'd get hurt and-"

"Don't worry. I could've taken care of it though, but its alright." She replied honestly, her guilty slowly slipping away.

Kid looked at her, his head tilted. "Really? It's just you fell quite a few times and all…"

Maka blushed, partly out of irritation. "I can take care of myself, Kid."

"Well, sure, but why don't you let others help you sometimes?"

"I do." Maka said, not knowing what else to say. The words Blackstar had said to her so long ago began to echo in here head. 'I'm not some little weakling like you.' True, that conflict was long ago resolved and forgiven, but the word still stung. She didn't need to be taken care of.

Kid finally sighed. "Maybe you should go back to the other room with Tsubaki and the others."

Maka nodded, an irritated look plastered on her face. "Goodnight." She said, her voice cold.

"Goodnight, Maka." Kid replied, though she was already down the hall.

* * *

*Sigh* That REALLY awkward moment when you misspell 'cook' and your STILL laughing about it at the end of the chapter. WOW that was funny. I'm so immature. Anyways! So yeah, Maka has a little inferiority complex. It's been brought up multiple times in the series, so why not here? Also, please don't expect all my chapters to be this long, as a matter of fact, none of them should really be this long from here on out… well, maybe the next one… But now I'm just trying to write out the boring stuff and get it out of the way and make room for the big plot bunny, he's so cute and fluffy and violent :3 Thanks for any Reviews ^^


	3. Chapter 3

Don't hurt me, please….

* * *

Maka woke the next morning in an unfamiliar room, though she didn't move right away, her eyes darted around for any familiarity when they rested on the large book shelved wall. Right. She was at Kid's house… But wait a second, she remembered going to sleep on an inflatable bed, not the cushiony, luxurious mattress she was on now. She also remembered only one bedroom had floor to ceiling bookcases, and that was in _Kid's _room. That's when she tried to move and realized something was holding her back, a limply draped arm over her side, to be exact. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed the polished silver reaper ring on the hand's middle finger. She was in Kid's bed? How? She didn't remember much after she settled down in the guest bedroom after their dispute. Slowly, she rolled out of his grasp, her face feeling as if someone lit it on fire. 'Did I sleep walk?' She asked herself, letting his arm fall back to the bed. She winced as it hit the ruffled sheets, sure it would cause him to stir, but it didn't. As a matter of fact, Maka couldn't even see a soft rise and fall of breathing in his chest.

"Kid?" She tried, shaking his bare shoulder lightly. Nothing. "K-Kid? The others told me to get you up, so I came in here…" She lied, already trying to think up an excuse for being in the reapers bedroom. He didn't stir. She rolled her eyes, Soul was just as hard to get up in the mornings. "Kid! Wake up." She said, pushing him over from his side to his back. His jet black hair splayed out around his head on his pillow, framing his face in black and white, but he didn't move a muscle. His lips were parted, just slightly, but it was enough for a small trickle of blood to make itself seen. Realization dawned on her, like an innocent squirrel meeting a fate of unforgiving truck tires. She shook her head, she refused to believe it. "Kid!" She said, now almost screaming. "You have to get up!" She cried, her eyes watering as she shook the boy violently. Nothing. Panicked, Maka jumped of the bed, her feet meeting a wet gooey substance on the floor. She balanced herself against the bed frame to examine the bottom of her foot. _Blood?_ The blonde thought in disgust as the metallic smell rushed her nostrils at once. Shaking her head, she ran to Kids door, down the blood flooded hallway and almost straight into Soul.

"Soul!" She cried, trembling with fear. "What's going on? What's all over the floors? And Kid-"

"Kid! Is he ok?" Soul asked, eyes wide and frenzied.

"O-Ok? I don't know, he not moving and I-" She shook her head, but was interrupted by the white haired boy.

"You didn't protect him?" Soul growled in an almost angry fashion.

"Well I-" Maka stuttered as splashing was heard behind Soul, indicating the presence of more people. Sure enough, Tsubaki, Liz, Patti and Blackstar appeared out of the darkness.

"Maka where's Kid?

"Is Kid alright?"

"You protected him didn't you?"

The five of them bombarded her with questions and she felt herself shrink. She was literally becoming smaller as the questions and comments became harsher.

"You let Kid die, didn't you?"

"She can't even protect herself, what do you expect?"

"She couldn't have saved him if she tried."

"She's so weak…"

"Maka, how could you do this?" Liz asked, her voice sticking out among everyone elses'. "Why did you let this happen to our meister? Do you hate him?" Maka backed away, only for her friends to close in around her. She looked up at them as they towered over her, their eyes filled with hatred and betrayal.

"It's all your fault."

She was suddenly in a new surrounding, some sort of wooded area. Her friends, all except Kid, had their backs to her. Her eyes went wide at the scene before her. Kishin upon kishin were gathered in this small clearing, each and every one of their eyes locked on the small group of teens before them.

"You ready Soul?" Blackstar said, his voice uneasy for the first time ever in battle.

"As ready as I can be." He replied grimly.

"Let's see what the power of a god can really do." Blackstar muttered, adjusting Tsubaki in his grip. In the blink of an eye, it was an all out war. Blackstar slashed through several kishins, but for every one he destroyed, three more emerged from the shadows. Maka tried to run into battle, to fight along side her friends, even if it meant certain death, but her feet felt like lead, and she was unable to move. Soul was the first to go, without a meister, his only option was to charge at the crowd, one arm transformed; but his movements were slow and awkward, so he was only able to get through a few before being completely overwhelmed. She never saw Blackstar go down, one minute he was up and kicking, the next he was no where to be seen. This left Liz and Patti, who attempted to climb in a tree, Patti transformed into a sleek Desert Eagle pistol as Liz shot at the monster mere inches below her violently. Their struggle didn't last long, seeing as one of the larger beasts knocked over the tree with ease.

As if she was being sucked into a vacuum, Maka jerked upright and took in the familiar black and white room. She had only been dreaming. She sighed but brought her hands up to her eyes and realized that she really had been crying. She looked around to find she was the only one left in the room and ventured down stairs where she was greeted by Soul Backstar and Tsubaki, all munching on bowls of cereal.

"'Bout time you woke up!" Blackstar called louder than necessary through a mouth full of Lucky Charms. Maka sat down next to Tsubaki where an empty bowl was and was passed the box of cereal and milk.

"Where's the others?" She asked, pouring her breakfast into the bowl, trying to clear the dream from her mind.

"Kid, Liz and Patti finished eating a little while ago and went to take a small walk around town." Soul explained. Maka simply nodded, still trying to push the images from her dream to the back of her head. As if on cue, Kid ran through the doors in a hectic state. Both sides of his casual white shirt had torn, his hair ruffled, white stripes now a dirty grey and his breath was erratic.

"We need to leave Death City." He said, eyes wide. "Now."

* * *

As a matter of fact, this chapter wasn't even really planned, (which is why it's so short.) I just got the idea and felt like being slightly cruel. But it does help me with my over all plot. It… Fuels the fire, so to say. Unfortunatly I have to wait until this account is '24 hours old' to send (and maybe even receive, I don't know…) personal messages… So bare with me. I appreciate any and all reviews, comments and suggestions ^^


	4. Chapter 4

So… I was thinking I'm going to be a bad ass like Kid, and so I get a skateboard and plan on fixing it up just like Kid's Beelzebub, but first I figure I should learn how to ride. 'oh, I'll learn pretty quickly' I tell myself, and I figure I can go show it off and ride it downtown in between classes when school starts. You know. Cause I'm so bad ass. HA! I suck at it. Thankfully, my cousin knows how to ride and is teaching me, so I'm not completely hopeless… But I do have a banged up knee . I have a new found respect for Kid.

* * *

"Kid! What happened?!" Tsubaki asked, rushing over to Kid's aid as Liz and Patti transformed back.

"I-I don't know." The tattered boy stuttered as he was ushered to the cushy living room couch. Liz and Patti sat next to him, both stunned and speechless. "We were just walking through the town, I figured if we were still here, then there may be others… That's around the time when that….th-that _thing _appeared." Kid paused, running his grimy hands through his hair in anxiety. "She seemed to be a young girl maybe 5 yards away from us, no older than around 10 years old, but her arm…" He shuddered remembering the image clearly. "Her arm looked as if it had been put through a meat grinder… She didn't seem to notice us at first, but at that time, I believed it to just be a human… I called over to it, I offered her help, I told her not to be afraid and that she could come back with us ." Liz shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "She looked over at us with these completely glazed over, crazed eyes… And that's when she charged."

"You were scared over a little 'ole kishin? Are you kidding me?" Blackstar sneered, rolling his eyes.

"No, it wasn't a kishin; but it defiantly wasn't human either. It was coming straight for us, I dodged her as she came closer, but she simply swung her body, both arms limp, back around and charged us again. I told Liz and Patti to transform, coming to the conclusion that she was, in fact, kishin; but the bullets went straight through her, as if she were a hologram; though I knew she wasn't."

"And that's when you came back here?" Soul question.

"No, I was determined to find out what exactly she was, but I wasn't all that eager to actually let her get within reaching distance." Kid replied, shifting in his seat, wincing in pain as he did. "I made it to the top of a near by shop and began throwing things at her. Roofing tiles, sticks, anything I could to prove that she was truly solid and not some illusion. Finally, she was still long enough for me to actually hit her. She stared at me for a moment, before growling and throwing things back. At first it was the small things I had thrown, the roofing tiles and sticks, but tiles turned into trash can lids, which turned into the actual trash can. I was dodging it easily at first, trying to buy some time while I tried to figure out what exactly I was dealing with, but dozens of people poured into the clearing from alleyways and other roads. I was completely surrounded." Kid stopped for a small breath before continuing. "The rest of them didn't do anything for awhile, they just watched as the little girl threw things at me. Finally, they began to follow the trail of objects being thrown and locked their sights on me, causing them to go into a complete frenzy. Unfortunately, while trying to dodge all the objects, I stepped on a soft spot in the roof and fell through. That's when I came back here." Everyone was silent as they took in the information. Liz held her younger sister to comfort her, but it seemed to be the other way around.

"Zooooombiiiiiies…." Blackstar joked, throwing his hands out in front of him, taking wide steps with out bending his knees.

"Blackstar, hush." Tsubaki said, criticizing the young assassin.

"Precisely." Kid said, his head now in his hands.

"What?" Soul asked in bewilderment.

"I came to the same conclusion."

"Wait a minute, so you're telling me we're against the undead here?" Soul asked, loosing his composure through a small fit of laughter.

"Exactly. Think about it. Liz and Patti went straight through the girl even though any other objects wouldn't. Our weapons are designed to kill the soul without destroying it; which ultimately leads to obliterating the body, leaving behind a dead shell of a soul. That's why when you kill a kishin, the body simply turns to nothing instead of falling, skewered, to the ground. But say there was a body that didn't have a soul; a body that was driven on pure instinct alone. How would our weapons affect them? My theory is that they wouldn't, there's no soul there for you to kill so the weapon blood in you tells you there is nothing there, causing you to simply pass through them." Kid explained gravely. As if on queue, a filthy, mud covered hand began beating on the window. "They must have followed me back…" Kid muttered, he looked over at Maka, who had been silent the entire time, then back to the ground. "I knew we should have left Death City when we had the chance…" He muttered.

"Well, I'm sorry." Maka spoke up, surprising herself, though she knew it was too late to stop. "I figured it would be a good idea to help your father in case he needed us."

"In case you haven't noticed," Kid growled, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. "My father seems to be M.I.A at the moment, but we knew that even before you made us stay, now didn't we?"

"Do you not have any respect for your father? Or is it just you're too much of an OCD freak to do what someone else suggests?" Kid flinched at Maka's remark, but retorted with his own.

"You'd like that wouldn't you? You'd like nothing more than all of _your_ friends to follow _your _commands, even if they aren't rational? _That_ sounds like a control freak to me."

"I'm just trying to do what's best for us and our city." Maka growled, her voice icy.

"Yeah? Well look where listening to you has gotten us." Kid scoffed his voice dangerously low as he gestured to the creature now pounding its fists on the muddy window. "Pack your bags. Pack up anything that we could possibly use, food, first aid, clothes, everything you can carry." Kid made one last glance at Maka who refused to look his way. "I have a feeling we won't be coming back."

"So you're saying none of our weapon forms will affect these things?" Soul asked, trying to take attention away from the dispute that had just broken out.

"If my theory is correct, then no. You will have no effect."

Soul sighed, looking at everyone's grim faces. "Well, looks like when need to find some real weapons and aim for the head."

* * *

Five minutes after the unexpected fight, the 7 meisters and weapons had put together a decent amount of supplies; but Kid and Maka refused to look each others' way. Kid examined all the backpacks and duffel bags the team had collected. After divvying up all the bags, Kid scouted the house from the inside and found their best way out without being detected. "All weapons need to stay in human form." He suggested. "Stay with your partner; were going to leave, two at a time, and in my case three. Get downtown on high ground and we will all gather there again and discuss our next move. Any questions?" Kid asked, surveying his slightly frightened friends, but none of them seemed to disagree. "Right then." Kid nodded and pulled four, heavily decorated scabbards from a table behind him, giving one to Soul, Maka, Tsubaki and Blackstar. "These are plain, simple samurai swords, I don't see why they wouldn't work against the undead, but I also don't see why we would need them if we are quiet enough. I advise that you refrain from coming in contact with them, but if it is necessary, use these." Blackstar and Soul unsheathed their new weapons, gawking at the shininess of the sharpened blades. "I wish all of you good luck." Kid continued, his eyes meeting everyone and then resting on Maka especially, as if to wish a silent apology, but she refused to even look his way. "Liz, Patti and I will go first." He said, grabbing what 'weapons' were left, being two crowbars and a baseball bat, handing the two crowbars to Liz and Patti. "In five minutes, Soul and Maka will leave, and 5 minutes after that, Blackstar, you and Tsubaki need to lock all doors and windows then crawl out an upper story window." Kid took a deep breath. "I'll see you guys later." Kid and the Thompson sisters plunged outside were it began to down pour and headed towards the meeting place.

* * *

And now the plot bunny rears its ugly head. Uhg, I didn't get as far as I wanted to in this chapter; I actually meant to get WAY passed this part, but the word count began to add up and it just felt… right to end it here; also, I wanted to update for you guys ^^ . WOW this story is going to have a lot of chapters. Any comments, reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated ^^


	5. Chapter 5

That moment when you _almost _go to A-kon 24, but don't; and then Todd Haberkorn decides to be there Yeah, I hate those moments… Maybe he'll be there next year?... I'll get him to sign my skateboard :3

* * *

Kid sat silently, waiting for the others with his partners, thankful that Patti was taking things seriously and keeping her giggling to a minimum. It had been well over 10 minutes since he had gotten there and he was beginning to worry about the rest of his friends. He arrived there completely undetected by the creatures and he could only hope the rest of them were as lucky. The reaper had a method in the order he had asked them to go in. He went first, ensuring the way he had planned was safe. Knowing Maka and Soul were smart enough not to alert everything within a one mile radius, he told them to go second. He chose Blackstar and Tsubaki to go last, almost certain Blackstar would stir up trouble and make it impossible for anyone to follow him.

"Where do you think they are?" Liz asked with enough sense to speak just above a whisper.

"I don't know…" Kid sighed, his anxiety growing with every silent second. Not long after his reply, a gloved hand made its way over the side of the roof. Letting out a sigh of relief, Kid went over to help a less than grateful Maka and Soul up onto the building.

"Sorry for the hold up." Soul whispered, about to answer Kid's unasked question. "We got cornered by one of the things; we had to go a different way."

"You two weren't… Bit or scratched or anything, right?" Kid ensured; feeling slightly foolish that he was referencing years of zombie movies and T.V shows.

"Nah," Soul smirked, "He didn't even come close enough. They're slow at first."

"At first? The little girl I fought seemed like she was pretty slow the entire time." Kid replied, recalling his previous encounter with a shutter.

"Not this guy. Sure at first he was slow. He walked just like they do in the movies. But he got faster, a lot faster; he even came close to us once, but luckily we found a ladder in the alley and climbed up it. He got bored with us pretty quickly and moved on." Soul shrugged.

Kid thought on Soul's encounter for a moment. "He got bored with you? Even though he could plainly see you?"

"Yeah, I wondered about that too; but I think their sight is off, I think they rely mostly on hearing."

"That makes sense." Kid nodded.

"Any sign of Blackstar?"

Kid shook his head. "No, none at-"

"YAHOOO!" Blackstar called, jumping up to the roof with the rest of the gang.

"Your god has arrived!" He gleamed, arms in the air with Tsubaki right behind him.

"Blackstar, hush!" Kid growled, looking down at the ground were the dead were beginning to crowd. Kid groaned. "See?" He hissed, "now you've done it! They're all riled up." He took another glance at the crowded ground. "Damn… There's a lot more than before…"

"They're rushing the building!" Soul called, not bothering to whisper any longer. The group instinctively stepped backwards to the middle of the roof. Panicked, Soul looked around for a way out.

"Over here!" He called, running and jumping on another roof, the others hot on his trail. Their attempts seemed to be in vain, every building they neared was surrounded by thrashing bodies.

"It's no use, I think we're going to have to-" Maka's sentence broke out into a blood chilling screech as her body disappeared into a hole in the roof.

"Maka!" Soul yelled, following in pursuit of his fallen meister, only to be held back by Kid's hand that.

"Soul, you can't just go plummeting in after her; We don't know what's down there, and we can't lose someone else just because of reckless behavior. By the look of it, it, she smashed through multiple layers…" Kid rationalized, peering down the hole, only to see a cloud of dust and darkness.

"Reckless behavior?!" Soul said, shrugging away from Kid's grip. "What? So we're just going to leave her there?" He growled.

"Absolutely not." Kid retorted, already heading towards the side of the building, jumping onto a near by fire escape. "We're just going to think before making critical decisions." Soul smirked in relief, following Kid down the iron stairs to the nearest unlocked door. "The rest of you stay put. We don't want a crowd going in and having to stumble over each other if we have to make a quick get away." Kid called as Blackstar was about to take his first step on the metal escape grate. "Watch over the others." The black haired boy continued, humoring the assassin's egotistic personality. He nodded, climbing back up to the roof, but not before tossing down the scabbard that was tied around his waist.

"Just in case." The ninja grinned, Kid smirked in response and nodded, following the weapon in front of him through a metal door. Blackstar may be annoying and careless, but he defiantly had his moments; especially when it counted and for that, Kid was grateful.

"Maka?" Soul whispered, cautiously stepping into unknown territory. The room seemed to be luxurious long ago before it was lost and forgotten in the unforgiving speed of an advancing city. The state of the room itself was quiet acceptable, beautifully carved chairs and loveseats were placed symmetrical around an old style television set, a once beautiful oak china cabinet now lathered in dust sat in the corner of the room, partially covered by a sheet and forgotten. Kid looked around in amazement, aghast that such a place could be forgotten; but upon further inspection, his unasked question was answered. Several small cracks in the wall climbed the sides of the room like a ruthless vine, the once cream carpet now stained and ruined due to poor roofing conditions. Kid shook his head, he didn't have time admire the antique furniture or criticize the beings that left them there; he was here to find Maka. Moans and growls filled the air as the undead infiltrated the surroundings below; a sharp crash caused the reaper and weapon to jump in fright, though the noise was far off.

"Sounds like they wormed their war into the lower level…" Soul remarked grimly. And now the clock was ticking. At a quicker pace then before, the two boys located the hole where the floor gave in just under the roof. "I guess she's downstairs…" Soul remarked, poking his head down in the hole, only to find pitch blackness.

"Theres a staircase over here," Kid called, already nearing the paint peeled rails. Soul nodded, obviously eager to rescue his fallen meister. Upon entering the lower level, Kid guess it was probably the 4th or 5th floor, massive clouds of dust threatened to choke out and blind the two rescuers. Through seemingly endless fits of coughing, a sharp, metallic _click _and deep chuckle made itself heard.

"Don't move."

* * *

_**PLEASE READ THIS:** _Alright you guys, so though I have fully mapped out the basics of this plot and where it's going to go, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm going to try and explain it, but please understand I cannot give too much away. There will be a part in the story were I will be running low on characters and I can fix that with 2 ways: 1- don't mess with it at all and stick with the basic Soul Eater characters, but do be warned, it may get REALLY dry and boring because I need more to move along the plot. Or 2- Add in some OCs took keep more of a plot going and 'give the characters something to do' so to speak. I personally think that adding a few (no, I do not just mean one or two) active OCs is almost essential for the plot to progress, but I know several people reeeally don't like OCs and I don't want to loose and disappoint my readers with them. If I have to, I will find a way to write it with out them, but like I said, it could get real dry. That being said, I'm opening up a poll for my readers to vote on this situation, look for it on my profile. Also, you may review with your opinions on the matter. Thank you all for reviews, comments and suggestions. And don't worry, "Maka power" (as someone in the comments put it) is in our near future ^^


	6. Chapter 6

This just might be my most crack-tastic chapter yet, just please bear with me…

* * *

_Click. _"Don't move," a voice threatened.

Through fits of blinking due to the amount of dust in the air, Kid began to make out the three figures in front of him; two boys, no older than 17, holding a small pistol to an unimpressed and confused looking Maka. The two standing were obviously identical twin brothers; their sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes were almost indistinguishable from another. Their only differences were their appearance in fashion, while one sported a dingy white and grey striped shirt, the other, holding the gun, wore a baggy straight black hoodie and dark, stone washed jeans. Kid and Soul froze, strategically planning their next move.

"All we want is our friend back." Kid stated, grabbing the attention of the twins. The boy in the lighter shirt seemed unfazed, rolling his eyes at the boy with the gun.

"Just let her go." He chuckled through a British accent, almost as if it were a game.

"We can't do that, Staz!" The black hooded male growled, lowering his gun in favor of arguing with his brother. "Times are different now. Women will soon become a delicacy and-"

"A delicacy?" The lighter one, Staz laughed. "Riz, you've never even talked to a girl, much less _dated _one." He continued, snickering. Soul and Kid watched in amusment, knowing the biggest danger here was to choke to death from the dust. "Plus, what would you do once she was with us? Huh? Have her wash your undies and cook your breakfast? I can see it now! 'Oh, hello hun, what's for breakfast?' 'looks like we'll have to do with toast and jam," Staz hitched his voice up an octave, "it seems a bloody rotter ate the chicken!"

"You better shut up, Staz..." Riz retorted, his gangster composure completely shot by the deep blush on his face and the accent he let slip into his tone.

"Lets face it, brother. The only woman you'll ever appeal to is mom!"

"Oh yeah? Well mom liked me better!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

It all seemed to happen in a single movement, without warning, Maka coiled her small fingers around the barrel of the forgotten pistol, yanked it from the blushing boy's grip and brought it up to his face, smacking him on the bridge of his nose and knocking him unconscious. Staz was quiet for a moment before rolling into a new fit of laughter, tears of mirth running down his face. Maka rounded on him, face still angry before he held up his hands, all humor lost from his face.

"H-Hey now, he was the one holding that thing to your head, not me."

* * *

"So… They don't sense through hearing?" Kid confirmed, looking at Staz.

"Not primarily, no." Staz said, poking at the fire they had made in the metal fire pit. Briefly after Maka knocked out Riz, Staz had began to share the information he had discovered about the monsters, or 'rotters', as he called them. Soul and Kid called up the rest of the team after Staz had insured the security of the abandoned apartment. "They really rely on their smell, which is why this place is perfect. Dust seems to keep them at bay. Say one of them did wander up here, the moment the dust enters their nose they become calm again… Anyhow! Enough doom and gloom, who's hungry?!" The overly happy brunette chirped, wandering off towards a dark corner. "We've got enough chips to last us the year." Sure enough, the tall lanky boy returned, bear hugging several bags of chips, and placed them on the floor. Blackstar immediately dove to the pile, retrieving and opening three packages in a single movement. Kid nodded in thanks and took a bag for himself. Though he wasn't all that hungry, he knew he needed something for strength. Kid looked around at the rest of his comrades, each face different from the last. Blackstar was downing his second bag of chips, Tsubaki wore her kind and thankful smile, Maka seemed indifferent but still unwilling to give Kid the time of day, Patti was comforting a petrified looking Liz, but it was Soul, who sat next to him, that was really worrying him. Every since they had come in contact with the twins, Soul had a permanent looking hate filled gaze towards the two brothers, he hadn't even bothered to pick up a bag of chips.

"You ok?" Kid pried, not knowing what anger could lead the white haired boy into doing.

"I don't trust them." He growled. "They held a gun to Maka's face." He hissed louder, earning everyone's attention.

"Hold on there,"Staz said, holding his hands up in a submissive position. "_I _didn't do anything. It was my idiot brother over there that had the gun on your girl." Staz nodded his head over to his still unconscious brother who now had his hands and ankles. "The guy just goes batty sometimes. I even feel more comfortable and find him more appealing with those restraints." Kid understood exactly where Soul was coming from; he didn't trust the twin brothers one bit, but for the time being they had no choice other than to bear with them. This was their only shelter after all and Soul seemed to realize that as he let his hostility down when Maka came over to sit by him.

"I appreciate the concern, Soul." Kid over heard her conversation with her trusted weapon. The reaper may have been mad at her at the moment, but he had to hand it to her, she did have a calming aura surrounding her. She could sooth over almost any situation, and for that he was appreciative; they didn't need the added stress. She had even coaxed a bag of chips in the hungry boy's dirty hands.

"So… Staz?" Liz asked, her voice frightened and squeaky.

"Yes ma'am?" Staz answered with a smirk, looking slightly too comfortable around the young blonde; though she didn't even seem to notice his flirtations.

"Do you know how all this started? Or when?" She continued, her face blank and staring into the fire.

Staz's smirk was gone in an instant and his face draining of color. He looked out one of the broken through windows, the sides of his face highlighted by the setting sun's rays. He took in a deep breath before finally speaking. "Yeah, it was yesterday afternoon actually, at the Death City Festival-"

"Death City Festival? What's that?" Blackstar interrupted.

"You've never heard of it?" Maka asked, giving Blackstar a curious look. "It's only one of the biggest parties in Death City! Papa, used to take me to it every year. Soul and I couldn't go this year because we were studying for exams…" Maka trialed off, finding it funny how little exams really mean to her anymore

"Well, yeah." Staz nodded to Maka, "It was huge, it felt like everyone in Death City was there. Riz and I were just about to win the pie eating contest when Tommy comes running through a crowd, screaming his head off and holding his arm. I just thought he had fallen and gotten a scrape on his arm… He always overreacted to everything… But then he started twitching and fell to the ground; It looked like he was having a seizure, his eyes were rolled to the back of his head, his body twitched and bent in ways that didn't seem humanly possible." He shuddered, remembering the horrific scene. "But of course there were so many people packed in the place, only those in a near vicinity noticed something was up; but even then it was too late… I felt like I was in some sort of zombie movie. Before Tommy even stood back up, he had already bitten chunks out of at least three people's ankles, and they turned almost instantly. Like I said, it felt like all of Death City was there. Riz and I ducked under the Pie eating booth and just laid there, the rotters seemed to enjoy catching their food… The sick bastards… After about 15 minutes, the screams were gone and we could only here the constant shuffling of their feet. Luckily, once they ran out of prey, their instincts seemed to tell them to leave the town, and that's how we got out." Staz sighed. "They were gone for awhile too, that is until we heard gun fire this morning; that seemed to draw them back here."

"Fifteen minutes… That's too quick…" Soul muttered, astounded.

"Why weren't you there, Kid? I'd think you of all people would have been there if it's related to Lord Death." Blackstar stated.

"I had better things to do; plus I needed to get the yellow crayon stains off my shoes… But that's not the point. Staz, I thought you said earlier they weren't drawn to noise. Why did they come back when the heard gun fire?"

"I said they weren't primarily drawn to sound, but they still come to it sometimes. They're all different. More than likely, one of them heard the noise and turned around, which cause a domino effect." Staz informed the group.

"How do you know so much about these things?" Maka asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "It's barely been a day and you seem like an expert."

Staz looked down and shuffled his feet uneasily. "Well, as the rotters walked towards the edge of town we noticed Tommy still poking around at the mess, as if he were looking for more victims. Riz and I pulled a burlap sac over his head and brought him here so we could study him… We know that's what he would have wanted…" Staz's eyes began to water slightly. "He would've wanted to help." He sniffed.

"You brought one of those things back?" Blackstar asked, looking around as if it were about to jump from the shadows and attack him from behind.

"Yeah… We eventually had to k-kill him though…" Staz broke his sentence and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist. "Once he heard the others outside, he began to get rowdy and snap more often… Enough was enough…We had to do it… We couldn't keep out 5 year old brother chained up like that..."

* * *

**So, I've kinda felt horrible for not giving you guys any feedback to your reviews, so… I'm going to start doing that now. I would reply to ALL the reviews I've gotten so far, but a lot of you guys have reviewed more than once and… yeah, It'll probably get confusing, so I'm just going to do the last 2 chapters ^^**

From Chapter 4-

**Art n' Music**: That it is, my friend. That it is. Strangely enough I was listening to a song by Creature Feature called 'Aim for the Head'…. It just needed to be repeated.

**Checkered Brooke**: Absolutely, they can both just be to damn stubborn sometimes; but those are always the best kind of people to be around in the zombie apocalypse. Better to have them willing to fight than too scared.

**Mikaela**: Yes… I almost always end with a cliff hanger… Please don't hurt me….

**Wordfiend**: Yes, my thought process exactly… I never understood it, in the 2nd episode (his debut episode) he was always giving himself away by being loud… But through the rest of the series his only real problem was being too egotistic… These are the things that haunt my thoughts…

**Courage-Earthworm'8**: Oh yes, and Maka power there will be!

From Chapter 5-

**Checkered Brook**: Thank you for the reassurance. I assure you with the OCs, beautiful things will happen; things that make you weep tear of joy, things that make you question existence… No not really, but I got some pretty good shiz planned *insert devious grin here*

**Shell-kun**: You didn't particularly review these 2 chapters but your other reviews stood out to me so you gets a response too, like it or not :D Whoo hoo! I get the aprooval! But I must ask, does it come with cake?

**Thanks to all you awesome people! I hope to hear more from you guys, it just boosts my faith level in this story way up. I appreciate all comments, review, suggestion and if you just wanna say something for the hell of it, go for it!**


	7. Chapter 7

A nice hot cup of English tea outside in 90+ degree Texas weather… And yet I'm still completely content ^^

Also, I do have a warning. Not so much in this chapter, but in future chapters, things may get graphic. Not as in 'sexual' graphic, but as in gore and maybe even some kinda messed up stuff… I'll be sure to put a warning before those chapters, but I'm giving you a before hand warning now.

If you watch the anime 'attack on titan', then you should be good.

* * *

Things were fairly quiet after awhile; well, if you could ignore the shuffling zombies inhabiting the ground below. Kid sat in silence, his back to a corner as he tried to fight off sleep and the chilling breeze that occasionally drifted through the broken through window. Staz had volunteered to take first watch, but the reaper declined his offer; though the brunette's intentions seemed to be of the utmost purest, he had no intentions of putting that risk on the line. After all, his brother was the owner of the pistol that had been placed to Maka's head hours before. They could easily been robbed blind in their sleep if they weren't careful; Kid suspected this was the beginning of a new age. A times where human morality would deplete with every maddening moment; a time were the Rotters and the kishins weren't their only enemies.

A sudden though occurred to him as he shut his eyes, slowly letting himself drift to the souls of the ones around him. Kid made a face as he strained to read the others; his powers were still weak and dull. The first one he reached was Soul, he let the emotions of the white haired boy infiltrate his thoughts. Even in his sleep he seemed on edge, but not to an alarming extent. He reached out to Liz next, worried that the traumatic experience might have scarred her a bit too deep this time, but to his relief, she was scared, but at the same time she seemed to be keeping it together. He over looked Blackstar, Patti and Tsubaki, almost ensured they were stable, then he finally came around to Maka. The stubborn blonde had even turned away from him defiantly in her sleep next to Tsubaki and Liz; but as expected, she was cool, calm, collective and determined. He let out a sigh of relief, glad to know all his friends, in their own way, had accepted the new world.

His father had told him once before the souls of weapons and meisters always had a constant strain of madness on them, seeing as they came in contact with kishin eggs more frequently than the average human. He had also explained to Kid that excess amounts of emotions such as pain, stress, fear or depression could throw even the best death scythe or meister over the edge, and cause them to do the unthinkable. Kid was relieved none of his friends were in that situation; at least not yet anyways.

It was only when the disturbing smell of burning flesh entered his nose when Kid actually paid attention to the Rotter's screams. He jumped up and ran to the window to investigate to find he couldn't see the ground. Rows and rows of flesh eating creatures filled in all the gaps around the buildings, all trying to file their way into the building occupied by the group of teens; but it was the sinister orange glow coming from the lower level that had Kid shaking everyone awake. He felt so stupid! The smell was obvious to him now as it quickly worked its way through the dust.

"Mmm, Tsubaki, what's for breakfast?" Blackstar muttered as Kid jabbed an elbow in the sleeping boy's stomach.

"Kid, what's going on?" Soul muttered from the ground, still in a sleepy-like state.

"You guys sure don't act fast do you?" Kid yelled and he nudged Staz frantically with his foot. "Untie your brother, the buildings going down."

* * *

By the time everyone was up and equipped with a duffel bag or backpack, smoke was pouring ruthlessly into the room. Somehow, Staz was able to wake Riz up from his unconscious state and got him moving on his feet; amazingly, the hooded brunette seemed completely civil now, as he muttered a brief 'sorry 'bout your girl,' to Soul , causing the weapon to blush slightly at the implication.

"I suggest we head towards the forested side of the Death City boarder." Staz said, pulling Kid aside to a near closet. "The Rotters at the festival went out towards the desert side, plus, I think we'd have a better chance under tree cover." Staz pulled open the closet door revealing a plethora over various bladed weapons, everything from curved butcher knives to sharpened hatchets to five pointed ninja stars; the dark haired reaper even spotted a few full length wooden scythes. Kid honestly felt like he was looking at a medieval torture cabinet. Looking at a wide eyed reaper, Staz smiled. "Didn't think the only weapon Riz and I had was a wee old pistol did you? We took advantage of the time the Rotters were gone." He said, stuffing weapons in his and Kid's bags wherever they fit. "You'd be amazed at the things people have as decorations. Oi! Load up!" He called the rest of the crew who wore the same expression Kid had.

"Staz said the Rotters left town on the desert side last time. When we get out of here, head north to the forests. Stay in a tight group." Everyone nodded, fumbling with the blades as they raced against time.

Once the closet was bare and everyone was completely armed, they rushed to the roof only to find the Rotters had found ways to get to the tops of nearby buildings. Their hazy, glowing blue eyes rounded on the crowd as they stood, huddled searching for an escape. Finding an opening, Maka ran ahead of the group, signaling for them to follow her as she bounded from building to building, slashing through the bodies recklessly with her newly acquired scythe as bodies got in her way. Only when she heard a sickening crack did she turn just in time for her to see Soul in mid air, falling to the ground. She stopped in mid stride and ran back to the rest of the group. She peered over the edge of the roof top to see Soul cornered by dozens of Rotters. Though he seemed to be holding his own, he didn't seem like he was standing too well.

"You guys go ahead." Maka told the wide eyed group as she was already making her way down to he fallen partner. "Blackstar, stay with me and help Soul." The group all nodded and everyone except the blue haired assassin continued their journey. He grinned maliciously as he followed his was down to the dirt with the blonde meister.

"It's about time!" He cheered. "Finally we get to see some action! A big star like me doesn't run when there's a battle to be fought!" Soul smirked wide as he heard his friend's remark.

"You guys should've left." He said half heartedly, emphasizing his words with every swing he made with the samurai sword in his hand.

"What kind of a meister would I be if I left my weapon to die?" Maka smirked, digging the tip of her blade deep into a Rotter's eye socket. "That'd be so uncool."

"I guess you've got a point… Whoa!" Soul, though injured, jumped slightly to the right, just in time to miss a trashcan lid that had been hurdled at them. "Looks like they enjoy throwing stu- Maka look out!"

Just as the words came out of his mouth, something tackled Maka to the ground, causing her to miss a sharp looking hub cap aimed directly at her head. She held in a scream as pain shot up from her ankle. She looked up to see none other than Riz giving her a frightened look.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Riz asked, unconcerned about the Rotters coming towards him. Maka looked behind him, wide eyed and picked up her scythe just in time to skewer two growling creature just before they sunk their teeth into the blue eyed brunette. He turned around and then back again, smiling in thanks, "Guess I owe you one?"

Maka tried to smile, but the pain insisted on pounding the inside of her brain; the ankle was broken, if not, badly sprained. She got up, heavily relying on her scythe to keep balance, but soon fell back over to the ground again, cracking her head on the concrete. Her vision went black, but she could still here their voices.

"Maka's down!" She heard Riz's British accent screech above the moans of the dead.

"Blackstar, take Maka with the others. Riz and I-" A loud scream ripped through the alleyway; a human scream.

"He's bit!" Blackstar yelled. Maka opened her eyes, just barely, to see Riz twitching on the ground, grasping for something on his neck that wasn't there, but before he could move any further, Blackstar ran his sword through his forehead.

"Blackstar! Get Maka out of here!" Soul yelled.

"No way! I'm not leaving you-"

"I'm not getting out of here, not without help. There's no way I could get her out of here. At least get her to the others and come back." There was a brief moment of silence before Maka felt warm, grime covered hands support under her knees and around her back.

"Stay alive; I'll be back." Soon after, Maka lost complete consciousness.

* * *

Sorry, I had to add that last little bit in there. Yes, this is a KiMa story, but come on, if this were to really happen, it would be too OOC if Soul didn't try to get Maka out of there.

Reply time ^^

Checkered Brooke- Yes, I am guilty of getting his name from Blood Lad. I already had the name 'Riz' and had determined they would be twins, I also _really_ like the name 'Staz' and Riz and Staz just sorta… I dunno has a nice ring to it. And thank you! I knew I wasn't going to have your generally obnoxious OCs that just ruin and take over the story, but I know most people see OCs and automatically think negatively. Though I will say they won't be the last OCs to be introduced.

Wordfiend- Thank you, like I said above to Checkered Brooke, I made sure my OCs weren't obnoxious like most. Though I do have one OC in the (maybe near) future that sorta… pushes the progression of Kid and Maka's 'relationship'.

DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr- Oh wow, I do believe I just had a mini laughter induced stroke because of your pen name; 'tiz epic! Anywho, in all seriousness, its going to get creepy. I mean _real_ creepy. So far it has been really mild, but it will get worse, I assure you. Just a fair warning.

Mikaela- Why, thank you! I love these guys too; for me, their accent just made it. I can just hear the two bickering in my head XD

Thanks to everyone for the kind and reassuring words! Also! If anyone knows or writes any good KiMa storied, leave the title in the comments; I'm running low on reading material :/


	8. Chapter 8

**Ramble, ramble, ramble, plot bunny!**

**Oh, and maybe slight 'creepy' warning? **

* * *

Everything was hazy before Maka finally regained consciousness in unknown surroundings. "Blackstar?" She called, faintly remembering him carrying her off. She squeezed her eyes shut one last time, trying to completely clear the haziness, and opened them up again; but it was no use. The only thing she could make out was the few trees and bushes that surrounded her in near vicinity. She closed her eyes, using what little soul perception abilities she could to sense someone, anyone, but to no avail. She tried to stand up only to be rudely reminded that she was host to an injured ankle and sat back down, scooting back so the backpack that still barely clung to her shoulders leaned against the base of a tree trunk.

She took in a deep breath, trying to take the fleeting, jumbled mess she called a brain and sort through her thoughts individually and carefully. Her first thought was to recall all the events she could before. She went down with Blackstar to help out Soul, who had fallen. The three of them were backed up in an alley… Yes, she could remember that. She shut her eyes tight, fighting to remember the strained memory. Something had been thrown at her, something big; but someone had pushed her out of the way… Riz… She had fallen backwards wrong, she put her ankle in the way… Damn it! Why did she have to be so weak?! She grunted in frustration and turned her thoughts to another subject at hand.

Right. Where the hell was she? The woods obviously; but what part exactly? And an even better question, where were the others? Soul told Blackstar to take her to the rest of the group… Soul… What happened to him? He didn't look so good after he fell. Maka brought her grimy hands up to her face, trying to wipe away the tears that welled in her eyes. There was almost no way for him to get out of there, not injured like that. Not without help at least, and Blackstar had left him alone in favor of saving her. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, the bands that held her pigtails long since released. It was all her fault! What kind of a meister was she?! She left her weapon to a certain death… Her breath caught in her throat as the sharp snap of a twig broke the eerie silence of the forest and brought her back to reality. She looked around in what little moon light was let through the canopy of the trees but saw nothing. She took a deep breath, yet again wiping away a new bout of tears and cleared her mind. Now was not the time to grieve over the past, she had to survive; she refused to let Soul's death go in vain.

She shrugged the backpack off and rummaged through the perfectly organized contents. Clothes, mostly. They had divided everyone's clothes and tried to distribute them out evenly through the bags, that way, they didn't have to keep track of a specific bag and say the unthinkable happened (which it did) and some members got separated from the main group. She pulled out a few t-shirts and some shorts before getting to the more crucial items in the bag. The blonde haired meister took careful inventory of the bag. 4 bottles of water, a bag of trail mix, a box of protein bars, a first aid kit (much to her relief), a small rope, the assortment of bladed weapons that had been stored in Staz and Riz's hideout and other small, various items. Maka nodded, memorizing the list by heart as she packed up her supplies.

A sudden, loud crash turned her attention away from the bag, she felt her hand grip the exposed handle of a decent sized machete. Soon after the noise, the blonde meister shrunk in on herself as shuffled footsteps were headed her way; the only thing keeping her in that spot was the thought that it might be the others coming to meet up with her. As if to confirm her worst fear, she began hearing the unmistakable groans of the dead. Maka tightened the straps of her backpack, readying herself for a fight; there was a good chance it was only one, maybe two Rotters heading her way, seeing as the noise wasn't too loud. Sure enough, two rancid smelling creatures stumbled into Maka's limited view, eyes almost glowing in the harshly lit forest. They both seemed to be in their slow, dormant states, meaning they hadn't noticed the small girl crouched at the base of the tree. She smirked at the almost ideal conditions; they wouldn't know what hit them. Prepared for the attack, Maka kicked off the ground from her crouched position with her good foot, launching herself at the two unsuspecting creatures, sending them tumbling to the ground. Without hesitation, she dug her blade deep into the eye socket of one, careful to keep her mouth shut in fear of contamination as its sour blood splattered everywhere, then rounded on the other, which met the same fate moments later. She watched the now still bodies for a moment later, ensuring they were, in fact, dead. Maka sighed as she let the adrenaline die down in her veins. It was actually kind of nice really; to have something to kill to release some of the built up anger and build up self esteem. She would survive, she knew she would.

As she wiped off her blade on the shreds of clothes left on the Rotters; clear, hurried steps made themselves heard. Maka's eyes widened, had she caused nearby creatures to frenzy? As quickly as she could, the scythe meister grabbed her weapon and tucked herself back against the tree in the same crouching position she had been before. She tightened her grip on the blade, not completely sure if she could take down a frenzied beast in her current condition, but she would sure as hell try. The steps got closer and she only had a second to take in the brightly glowing, yellow eyes before she launched herself with all of her might, tackling her prey. It landed with an 'Oof' and before she was able to bring her blade down into the creature's awaiting eye socket, she was thrown off. She let out a sharp gasp in surprise as the creature climbed on top of her and pinned both her wrists down with a firm, harsh grip and bore its luminescent eyes into hers. She shut her eyes tight, waiting for the pain, feeling the gnashing, unforgiving teeth to rip into her flesh, eating her alive. She felt her bones crunching and splintering as she was thrashed around brutally, unable to even put up a fight as the beast savored the metallic taste of her blood and tore into her soon-to-be carcass like a savage animal. She snapped back to reality when she was met with a befuddled yet relieved voice.

"M-Maka?" The creature said; you could almost hear the smile in its voice. Maka let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and let her tense body go limp.

"Kid…" She said airily, her heart still running laps in her chest. "Why the hell are your eyes glowing?" She almost growled.

"Oh… Uhm, shinigami eyes kind of… glow." He said lamely. "Sorry…" He muttered, dismounting the dazed scythe meister. They sat in an awkward silence as Maka's heart slowed to a more or less stable pace.

"Where are the others?" She asked finally, though she was relieved she was no longer alone; the young reaper wasn't particularly high on her requested company list.

Kid was quiet for a second before answering. "We got swarmed… I swear there were thousands of the things... We were all split up… What about Soul? And Blackstar?"

Maka winced at her former weapons name. "I don't know… I just… Woke up here…" She sighed, not particularly wanting to relive the terrible events in words just yet. Kid seemed to pick up on that and didn't push it.

Kid jerked his head, eyeing something off in the distance. "What the hell…" He whispered, getting up to his feet. Maka looked up and Kid's glowing orb-like eyes grew huge. "We've got to go. Now." Kid held out his hand to help Maka up.

"What's going on? I don't hear anything- and the others know I'm here and-"

"We've got to go. Now" Kid hissed.

"Kid, I can't walk." Without hesitation, the reaper picked up the wounded blonde bridal style and took off running, full speed, into the depths of the woods.

* * *

**Enough 'fluff' to hold you for awhile? Sorry their relation is progressing a bit slow… But that always makes it better :)**

**Replies~!**

**Art n' Music-** Hmm… I feel like if I say anything to this I'd have to put a huge spoiler alert… So I can't say much too it, sorry ^^' anyways, thanks! I'm lovin' the Apocalypse too!

**Checkered Brooke**- Yuuuush. Shingeki no Kyojin is AWESOME. Levi is freaking epic XD And so is Mikasa!... And Eren and Armin are trying their best but they can't… quite… make it… Haha sorry for my fangirl rant… Anyways… Thank you! I'm really tring to make it like one of those KiMa stories that actually have A LOT of build up and it s not just like one day they look at each other and BAM they're in love. Nah, too boring.

**Victorious 4 eva**- ooooooo….. I'm sorry, but this chapter didn't help ^^' sorry. If it makes you feel better, the entire time I was finishing this up, I kept hearing bangs and creaks outside my window. It's abruptly 1:30 A.M right now o.e I'm sorta scared shitless o.o

**88EvilnBored88**- Request granted!

**Courage-Earthworm'8**- bejfbkwefkegfkjbfkjhbv jhrjgbkrudfgkaurgku jbkjbgkajrhbf aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHH I'm sorry it wasn't 'now'….

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- That's as good a reason as any. As for the other part of your review, refer to Victorious 4 eva's reply. And don't have a heart attack. Please?

**Thanks for the reviews you guys! I appreciate them all!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Kid! Slow down, you're going to run us into something!" Maka called, loud enough for him to hear, but no louder than the sound he made crashing recklessly through the woods. She buried her face into the reapers soiled shirt, partially out of fear and partially to shield her face from the cool blast of air coming towards her. How he was able to run so quickly with a 100 pound girl and her 20+ pound backpack as well as his _own _backpack was beyond Maka.

"I can see just fine in the dark you know." He grumbled through his heavy breathing, obviously not wanting to keep up conversation while in mid-stride. After a good 15 minutes of running at full speed, Kid finally slowed to a jog.

"What was back there?" The blonde piped up as the young shinigami swiveled his head in all directions. He sighed and stopped walking, setting the confused girl down against a hollowed out log.

"Where are you injured?" Kid muttered coolly, his voice monotone.

Maka rolled her eyes. "My ankle's a little sore. What was back there?" She pressed.

"I'd say more than a little sore." Kid repled, gently rolling up the meister's jeans into a cuff causing her to scrunched up her face in pain. She knew he was right; there was defiantly something wrong with her ankle, but she didn't want help from him, she could take care of herself. The reaper let his gaze flicker up to Maka's unamused and even slightly irritated face; he ignored her treacherous looks and continued examining her ankle, taking off her shoe for a better inspection. "I'd even go as far as saying possibly broken, if not heavily sprained."

Maka's heart sunk at the news, but refused to believe it. She would just rest it tonight and be perfectly fine by tomorrow, right? A broken ankle in this kind of world could almost mean certain death. Sure she was able to kill two Rotters in this condition, but she was lucky it had only been two that were dormant; how much longer would her luck really continue? She sighed and looked over at Kid, who looked honestly concerned as he examined her ankle. This was the same boy who she had bickered with just hours before, the same boy who openly accused her of putting them in this tight situation when all she wanted to do was to help _his _father and protect _their_ city. The boy who called her a control freak. She balled her hand into a fist, and then remembered her side of the dispute. When she spat the words 'OCD freak', he was the one who flinched. This was also the same person who has kept them all calm, the same person who has guided them with nothing but pure intentions, the same boy who put his safety on the line to pick her up and carry her to their current position. The one now pulling the first aid kit out of his supplies to selflessly tend to her injured ankle.

"Take this, it will help with the pain." Maka flinched inwardly, guilty showering over her like an unforgiving storm at his kindness. She took the bottle of pills gingerly from the reapers hands.

"Thanks, Kid."

* * *

After wrapping Maka's injured ankle in an ace bandage and briefly scouting out the surroundings, Kid dubbed the spot safe for the night. He set up a fire hoping the smell would detour any nearby Rotters as well as to keep the two of them at least semi warm. The reaper was carful not to let his mind slip into any false security around the fire, as he constantly kept his ears open to any and all sound. What he had seen when he first found Maka still gave him chills.

He had turned is head just in time to see three or four Rotters duck behind a tree as he turned around; they had been stalking him. This could only really mean one thing; they had the potential to harbor intelligent thoughts. Sure, it could have been simple instinct that told them to hide from their prey, but Kid didn't want to dismiss the thought that easily. One thing was certain, he defiantly didn't want to worry Maka with that bit of information. Even if he had simply told her that there were Rotters that had hid themselves, he knew she was smart enough to deduce the same thing he had. If they could learn how to hunt and stalk their prey, it was only a matter of time before they learned how to improve their strategies as well.

The two meisters had sat in silence for awhile now, not that it really bothered Kid, but he just knew it was going to be extremely uncomfortable and awkward for the two of them until the others came back. Then things would be back to normal. That's about the time the young reaper let disturbing images into his head. Liz and Patti, his trusted side kicks, laying lifeless and shredded on the ground, or worse, walking around in a dead like stupor searching for their next prey. He shook his head at the thought. No, they were fine. Just fine; they are the Thompson sisters, after all, once the roughest and most feared criminals in New York. What were a few walking carcasses to them, right? A small scuttling noise brought Kid back from his thoughts. He used his dulled Soul Perception and sighed as he discovered it was simply some sort of small animal. Trying to keep his mind off of such morbid thoughts, he looked over to his companion who sat across from him. The blonde meister had her arms wrapped around her legs that had been drawn up to her chest. Her head lay resting atop her knees, emerald green eyes peering forlornly into the pits of the fire that illuminated her features. Kid could almost see the sleep depravity weighing on her eyes, hell, he could sure feel it on his, but he knew she wouldn't sleep. Her soul was far too uneasy; she didn't feel safe.

"Hey, Kid?" Her voice startled him, even though it was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?" He muttered, somewhat thankful for something to keep his mind from such gruesome thoughts.

"You think were going to die here?" Her voice sounded so distant, so empty. Kid was taken aback, he had never heard something so depressing from the otherwise optimistic meister. Thoughts of her soul being corrupt crossed Kid's mind once or twice, but he didn't seem to care. Part of his mind tried to tell him it was wrong that he didn't care; but he didn't listen. He knew the madness was straining on his soul as well, causing such a feeling of depression; but he in a way enjoyed it.

"I don't know." He replied simply, not even bothering to look at the girl. Maybe feeling nothing but depression was a good thing; sure it had to be better than feeling false hope. It might do some good to let the madness take over, you probably had to be mad to live in such a world. All those with hope would die, and those who hated life would live, just for the cruel irony of it.

He looked over at Maka and something inside him clicked, causing him to push all the depressing thoughts away. His eyes widened slowly the longer he stared at the girl that was highlighted by the small campfire. Before he knew it, he was slowly making his way around the fire towards her. How could he have not notice it before? It was so _obvious._ Maka looked at the reaper who's face was now mere inches from her own, confusion filling her gaze. _This had to be done. _Kid thought to himself as he paused for a moment, trying to think of the right way to go about it. Should he ask first? No, he was already to close to her now... Oh, hell, he would just have to do it. Maka, now extremely confused at the reapers sudden actions simply sat there, staring at the pair of golden eyes that were gazing back at her. In a sudden movement, Kid reached his hands up to brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and placed them around her ear. Then did the same to the other side. He moved away slightly from her face and nodded, then made his way back to the other side of the fire.

"Your hair was asymmetrical." He muttered, sitting down and laughed inwardly at himself. Maybe he should get rid of this madness.

* * *

**Oh my gosh! If you guys only knew how fun that ending was to write!**

**Oh? Not the cute, fluffy KiMa moment you expected? I haven't really portrayed much of Kid's OCD in this fic at all, so it had to be done. Haha, sorry, it just unrealistic for them to be lovey dovey right now, they're still sorta 'mad' at each other. Ish. But trust me. In later chapters, there will be fluff. Promise! Until then, comfort fluff! Whoohoo!**

**Replies~!**

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- Don't die! This chapter isn't as scary! Or I don't think it is…

**Mikaela**- Great! I'm always glad to hear people are enjoying my writing!

**Guest**- well… Sorry! No fluff anytime soon. Maybe comfort stuff, but in this particular fic, there relationship speed will be approximately equivalent to that of a grandma turtle… but it _will_ eventually get there. Promise!

**Checkered** **Brooke**- Thanks! And yeah, I will occasionally throw some comfort fluff out there; but to me personally, I don't see Kid _or _Maka as the type of people who would be friends then all the sudden hook up within a day. I think with their personalities it would defiantly happen, just it would take a sort of build up over time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Bloo bleep blop**

* * *

Kid sighed as he searched for something to lighten their spirits, he knew it was only a matter of time before they both started making irrational decisions or even worse. "Let's play a game." His words cut through the silent night like a hot knife through butter; of course Maka heard him, but she chose not to respond. "Liz, Patti and I played it when we first became partners; it ultimately strengthens the soul's condition. It's quite simply, really, I just ask a question, any random question like what's your favorite color, and you answer it. Then you ask me a question and I'll answer." Kid continued lamely; he really didn't want to play either, be he knew it was ultimately good for the both of them.

"No offense, Kid, but I'm really not in the mood for a game right now." Maka muttered, the reaper could almost see her eyes rolling as she responded.

"Listen, Maka." Kid's voice turned completely serious. "You care about the others right? Tsubaki? Liz? Patti? Soul?" She winced at her partner's name, but the reaper failed to notice. "I know I do. But I also know if we let ourselves wallow in our own self pity and self hatred, it will consume us, and we _won't _be able to find the others." His tone was icy and almost heartless, but it had caught the blonde meister's attention, seeing as she was looking up at him rather than staring lifelessly into the pits of the fire. "Come on now, Maka. I know you're pretty smart. You've got to be able to tell that something in your soul isn't right. I know mine sure as hell isn't." He sighed, letting his tense body go limp. "You know souls of weapons and meisters are more subjective to madness when it comes to strong emotions. I know Stein has talked about it in his lectures before. Our souls are getting corrupt by the minute, Maka. You of all people should be able to sense that." The silence seemed to stretch out for ages.

"Purple." She replied, barely above a whisper.

"What's that?" Kid pulled his head up from where they had been resting in his hands.

"Purple… It's my favorite color."

"Oh." Kid smiled at the simplicity of her words, but at least he had got through to her, at least in some way. This was a start. Of course it would be an extremely slow process of pulling their souls out of this depression and borderline self loathing, but the first step was to ultimately aspire to change it. It seemed they had taken that step together. "I like green."

* * *

The game was extremely awkward at first, seeing as they only really gave each other one worded answers that were never expanded on, but after awhile, they seemed to want to put in their own opinions and thoughts on the matter; even with the simplest questions. Of course they knew it would be awkward, Kid had past experiences from the game to reference back to, but the key to the game was to elaborate; to make it interesting.

"Favorite food…" Kid tapped his chin as he ran through the various dishes he had tried over the course of his life. "I'd have to go with the eight layered lasagna I made once. It was absolutely perfect." He almost laughed, bringing up both his hands to show his pointer fingers meeting the tips of his thumbs, forming a perfect 'o'.

"Eight layers?" Maka's eyes went wide in amazement. "Why so many? It was only to feed you, Liz and Patti right?"

"Yes… We were eating on it for days. But why not eight? It's perfectly symmetrical in every way."

"Oh, right. It's symmetrical, how could I have forgotten?" Maka giggled, letting a now-rare smile grace her lips. "I'm more of a fruits and vegetable type of person myself."

"Well, I guess that's quite fortunate." Kid grinned. "I think we have a much better chance of finding fruits and vegetables than we do lasagna now days." He had to admit, the 'question game' had been the best idea he had had all day; not only was it slowly but surely improving their souls, but it also, in a way, was improving their friendship.

Maka nodded in agreement at Kid's last comment and let her eyes wander to the sky where she could just barely see the sun beginning to peek its ugly mug above the horizon. "So," She said in all seriousness after a small moment of silence. "What's our game plan for today?"

Kid thought on the question a moment. "You know, I'm not sure. Survive I suppose? I haven't really thought on it much."

"But what about the others?" Kid had a feeling he knew what she was really asking._ What about Soul?_ Though she had yet to tell him what had happened back in the city, he knew the meister wanted nothing more than to be reunited with her weapon. Kid could defiantly sympathize, he couldn't deny the fact that every five minutes his mind would wander to thoughts on the well being of the twin pistols; but the fact of the matter was she was injured, unable to move anywhere, and he wasn't about to leave her there to fend for herself while he was out looking for the others.

"We'll find the others." Kid started, trying to find the best way to tell her to wait without upsetting her again. The blonde meister wasn't usually this irritable, as a matter of fact Kid generally liked being around her seeing as she had such a friendly and easy-going demeanor, but he knew the stress she was under and that was enough to make anyone easily irritable. He had to choose his words carefully. "We we'll have to wait until your ankle heals properly. There's no point in worsening its condition by forcing yourself to walk on it." Maka opened her mouth is if to protest, but thought better of it, Kid let out a silent sigh of relief and continued. "Just give it about a week and-"

"One day." She protested instantly.

"Four."

"Three."

"Deal. But you have to let me check on it and I reserve the right to add on an additional day if it's still swollen." Kid tested, Maka thought on it and hesitantly nodded in agreement. "Hey, that doesn't mean they won't stumble upon us. We'll just have to keep whatever soul perception abilities we can muster up on alert." The blonde haired meister nodded again, the same glazed look that had been in her eyes hours before beginning to return at the thought of her friends. Kid furrowed his eyebrows; No, he had just started to bring her back from that madness, there was know way he was letting her go back. Interrupting his thoughts, Kid almost laughed at the loud, obscene noise his stomach made, and it seemed to catch Maka off guard too. "Guess I'm a little hungry." He muttered, slightly embarrassed.

He pulled his backpack into his lap and plucked out a small box of protein bars, similar to the box in Maka's bag, and opened it, tossing a bar first to Maka then keeping one for himself. "Maybe we should ration these instead of eating a full bar." The girl mumbled, catching the bar midair, though he could faintly hear her stomach as well.

"We've had a bit of a rough night." Kid offered, opening his own bar. "I think it will be ok. Besides, once we meet up with the others we can scout for more food."

* * *

**Really dry chapter I know. And I also know on top of a dry chapter, I'm a day late. I have no excuses, though I do promise the next chapter to be better. Quite a few reviews though, thanks you guys!**

**Replies~!**

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- This…. It can only mean one thing… mini-rotters have invaded your dresser O.O no, but in al honesty… The next few chapters shouldn't be 'scary'… But I make no promises on the one after the next (because I haven't written it yet ^^' )

**Courage-Earthworm'8**- Sorry, didn't really give you a reaction… Let's just say she rolled her eyes XD that seems like a very 'Maka' thing to do as far as the Maka in this story… I have kinda made her OOC, haven't I? But I mean, hell, I'd be OOC too if I was being attacked by zombies and was stuck with someone I didn't particularly like at the time…

**Art n' Music**- Yes! I had some people tell me they wanted fluff. I sorta threw it in their faces there :x I was laughing like a maniac while writing it though.

**Mikaela**- Good, then my illusion worked *rubs hands together* I was trying to set up the 'perfect romantic/awkward moment' only to let Kid ruin it XD though I don't think either one of them thought of it in a romantic way at the time, if you squint, I bet it'd be pretty cute. A guy tucking a girl's hair back behind her ears to make her symmetrical, when the guy sees symmetry as 'a thing of absolute beauty'? Maybe that's how Kid saw the gesture? Maka was just annoyed though XD

**A puppy lover**- Yes, yes I did. I enjoyed every minute of it XD but just as I say to atleast one person every time I upload a chapter; there _will _eventually be real cute/fluffy/romantic moments between these two. _Eventually. _

**Checkred Brooke**- Thank you, someone who sees the cuteness without the obvious fluff! And yes, this chapter is still more 'calm before the storm' type material; but trust me, the storm is brewing. Though I will say this chapter is a little dry and is a filler, I needed a chapter like that to introduce the question game, which is a real thing! I've actually played it before and it's a lot fun-er than it seems! Anyways, where was I going with this reply? Oh! Yes! Calm before the storm. Very much so.

**Evilkatnyah**- Though I can't comment on the first part of you review… I can honestly say I don't think Maka and Kid have any particular feelings for each other just yet. After this chapter here, I think we're doing good to call them friends who have agreed, more or less, to accept each others differences. Though they may not feel it now, I am glad to say they will _eventually _feel something for eachother… They just need a little help. Theres a bit of foreshadowing for you. ;)

**A**- Whoohoo! Someone who appreciates my love for horror! I don't know why, but when I try and write these gruesome scenes, I just can't stop myself. I feel the need to explain every little feature of the scene, I want the reader to feel the paranoia these guys feel. I want them to see the bodies get ripped to pieces right before their very eyes. I want them to understand the fear and urgency of a frenzied panic… Sorry. I went off a bit there. I'm just a weirdo who likes to write scary stuff :I

**Thank you guys for all the reviews and encouragements, I promise the next two to three chapters will have some good shiz-nit stuff to happen.**


	11. Chapter 11

"So you've never been camping before?" Maka smirked as she looked at the shrugging young reaper.

"Nope, never." He replied simply, mindlessly tossing small twigs and leaves in the fire and watching as they slowly burned from the outside in.

"Wow, you didn't have a very good childhood, did you?" The blonde joked, a friendly grin tossed Kid's way.

"Of course I did! I had an amazing childhood! Just… not a very… standard one." He laughed to himself.

"You can't have a real childhood without camping at least once." Maka declared, holding up a finger for emphasis.

Kid thought on it for a minute. "Well I guess we are, in a brutish, twisted sort of way, camping. And last time I checked, one isn't officially seen as an adult until the age of 18." Kid smirked. "I could count this as 'camping during my childhood'. And see? I'm even camping with a friend."

The scythe meister pondered it while nodding her head, "I suppose your right." She finally giggled, though her mind seemed to suddenly be else where. It was quiet for a minute, and then she finally spoke. "Alright, Kid. It's been three days." As if to make her point, she stood up and evenly distributed her weight to each foot. Kid could still see her wincing and the pain that threatened to overthrow her face, no matter how much she tried to hide it. She was tough, but he already knew that. Kid sighed, they had just been having such an enjoyable conversation, though he figured talk of her ankle was sure to be brought up at some point during the day. Just as he had done almost ever few hours now, he told her to have a seat and gently rolled up her pant leg and compared the size of her injured ankle to the size of the healthy one. Liz and Patty had taught him some things, but not everything, and he was working with what he knew. "See? The swelling is down." She encouraged.

He did agree, the swelling had gone down quite a bit, and the bruised purple was beginning to fade into a simple red, but it was still far from healed. "But Maka, how does it _feel." _He cooed, trying to encourage the truth. "What good would it be to have a busted ankle for the rest of your life?"

"It's fine; really. It's better." She nodded, not meeting his gaze. _Better _and _fine _where two entirely different things and he knew that. He knew that _she_ knew that, but if he were to bring that up, it was sure to cause some sort of argument; and he didn't particularly want a repeat of what happened at the Gallows. He looked up at her one last time, trying to tell her through his eyes that it was ok, that she didn't have to act tough around him. He was trying to give her an out, but unfortunately, somehow it was lost in translation and she simply looked back at him, her expression portraying nothing.

"Alright, Maka." Kid said, trying to hold back the regret in his voice. "Get some rest tonight, it's almost sun down, and we'll go search for them in the morning."

* * *

They had become very accustom to taking nonverbal queues from one another over the past few days, and if you subtract the fact that they were in a dying world with no connection to anyone else, Kid might have even called it enjoyable; and he assumed Maka felt the same way as well. It was almost like meeting an old friend after several years of separation and catching up with them. Their conversations were far from uncomfortable, seeing as they habitually played 'the question game' until one answer would intrigue the other and they would both engage in deep, and sometimes philosophical, conversation. The topic of discussion always seemed endless with no limitations, but neither of them ever cared. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement of 'what is said here, stays here'.

Arguments often broke out, however, just as the do with true friends. One would word something that unsettled the other; this mixed with stress, Kid's neurotic behavior and sleep depravity was a recipe for disaster. The stress and OCD attacks where inevitable, but the lack of sleep had been what really took a toll on their health. Between the two of them, only Maka had been able to get abruptly 3 hours of sleep; though it was incredibly restless and she felt it did more harm than good.

"Hey Kid, I'm gonna walk around for a bit." Maka announced, leaning heavily on a nearby tree to steady her as she got up. "If we're going to go search for them in the morning, I might as well try to get the stiffness out of my ankle so I can walk properly."

The raven haired boy looked up at her as she waited for a reply; not that he could stop her if she had already set her mind to it. He let his eyes wander off into the sky; they didn't exactly keep track of specific time anymore, but if the moon was anything to go by, he'd say it was around 2 a.m. "You might want to consider staying here…" He hesitated; any undermining choice of words could set the blonde off when it came to things like this. "If you just get some rest tonight- try to sleep-"

"I've done nothing but rest since we got here." She retorted, though her voice wasn't particularly hostile yet, it still held a very unfriendly tone. "And if it's the Rotters you're worried about, we haven't seen any since we got here; besides-"

Kid raised his hands in a surrendering position. "Don't think I'm trying to belittle you, Maka. I'm not your boss, I can't tell you what to do. I know you can handle yourself, hell, if I was to chose anyone from our team that could handle their own, I'd pick you. But, the fact of the matter is I can still offer my suggestions. If you want to go, by all means. I'm just asking that you stay close." The thought of going with her crossed his mind once or twice, but he figure it would just add on to her frustration, there for making everything he just said sound hypocritical.

Maka tried to avoid his calming gaze, feeling foolish for getting all worked up over something simple. She nodded and tried to walk as normally as possible out toward the woods, though not without grabbing her trusty machete first; she knew if she showed any hint of pain, no matter how often Kid says he's not her boss, he would make sure she stayed put for another day.

All she really wanted was time alone to clear her worried mind. She needed some space from the small clearing they had called home for the past few days. The only time she had really ever left it was to wash up in a small near by stream and to use the restroom. Kid had been the one to get the firewood. Kid had been the one to walk around the small perimeter to ensure their safety. Maka felt completely and utterly useless. She knew Kid was far too much of a gentleman to even think about complaining or asking for help and she was grateful for that, but the scythe meister really did want to pull her own weight. Her ankle was now healed and there was nothing stopping her now; once she got back from her little walk, she would tell Kid she was going to help him out whether he liked it or not. Besides, they were running low on food and she highly doubted Kid knew very many edible plants, seeing as he wasn't particularly the outdoors type. Maybe she could even catch a fish.

While deep in thought, Maka failed to hear the soft creaking of the branches above her. She was being followed, and she didn't realize it before it was too late. Out of nowhere, something jumped down on her shoulders, steadying itself by grabbing on to fistfuls of her hair and began beating her over the head with a decent sized stick, all the while letting out a high pitched noise that sounded like a mix between a shriek and a growl. Getting over the initial shock of the aerial attack, Maka grabbed her assailant by what she assumed to be a shirt and easily threw its lightweight body to the ground where it squirmed under her restraining grip. "Imma kill you!" It growled just before she was about to bring her blade down upon its forehead. She stopped immediately and dropped the blade, trying to examine the writhing body in her grasp.

"Maka?!" Kid's panicked voice sounded behind her, "Maka are you ok?!" He gasped, his voice sounding increasingly closer.

"Lemme go!" The voice growled again, but Maka couldn't help but chuckle in relief.

"What the-" Kid stared in shock at the small creature in Maka's grasp. It was a little boy.

* * *

**Today was pretty freakin great. First, I was woken up by my father handing me a package from the mail that contained my Death The Kid rings (which I'm proudly wearing now) and then I found out I will be going into my senior year one credit away from having an associate degree o.o So I celebrate by writing :D because this chapter **_**was**_** going to et posted tomorrow night. But you get it early. Because today was beast. **

**Replies~! **

**Mikaela**- Thanks for the suggestion! I shalt defiantly take it into consideration! And yes, I be Liz would be spazing. Can't tell you how they are though, sorry. Not unless you want a major spoiler o-o I can say, some questions will be answered soon, but it will also raise other questions… anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! You are, like, a beast-mode awesome reader for commenting on almost every chapter! it really does mean a lot to me.

**Checkered Brooke**- I'll have you know, that every since I began writing this story, I've ultimately known how it was going to go, but I never really knew the details of how. But your comment that you left made me think of something, and that something lead to another something, that lead to another something, that ultimately led to my final, true ending of this entire fiction! I'm not saying the ending has anything to do with what you said, so it's not really a spoiler; but I just wanted to thank you for the comment! It helped me out so much! And like I said to Mikaela above, you are just one of those beast-mode awesome readers that comment on almost (or maybe even every) chapter I've written! Thank you Soooooo much :D

**They were the only two reviews, so they get long replies :D Thanks you guys! **


	12. Chapter 12

**I have discovered the amazing world of shimeji. I now have two Makas and Death The Kids running around my computer screen. It's utterly adorable.**

* * *

"What do we do with him?" Kid muttered, now sitting next to Maka as they stared at the young boy, his black hair tangled in a mess and partially covering his icy blue eyes filled with rage.

"You let me go! That's what you do!" The young boy hissed as he pulled at his restraints. Upon coming back to their camp, the meisters had taken some of the excess strap from one of their backpacks and effectively tied the child's wrists together and ultimately restrained him to a small tree. The boy had been extremely reluctant to stay with them, he had even tried to retreat into the tree he had been in when he attacked Maka, but they wouldn't in their right mind let such a young child go back out into a world such as this alone.

"I don't know…" The blonde sighed, ignoring any comment the black haired child made.

"What's your name?" Kid asked, turning to the rebellious raven haired boy.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He sneered nastily, spitting in Kid's general direction.

"Show some respect for those older than you." Kid commented, keeping his composure. "Spitting at a person; so impolite. How old are you? Two?"

"I'm five, thank you very much." The child chirped smartly.

Kid smiled at getting the information out of the boy. "Oh? Five years old and you live on your own?"

"Who do you think you are? Keeping children tied up like this? What are you? Some sort of pervert?"

Kid just smiled, shaking his head. "I will admit, you do seem pretty advanced for your age." The young death god stood from his place next to Maka and walked over to their backpacks they had stashed in a tree, away from any hungry animal that may stumble upon their campsite. "Being as smart as you are, let's try this again." He pulled out a protein bar, briefly flaunting it in the direction of the boy who became silent. He slowly walked over to the boy and crouched down to his level. "You seem awfully hungry." Maka thought it was cruel to tease a child with food, especially in his state; it looked as if he hadn't eaten since the break out. All this being true, it seemed as if the boy would be staying with them for awhile, he really had no other place to go, and it was necessary to establish some sort of respect. It still seemed inhumane, but then again the world didn't really seem to be very humane anymore. "Your name."

"Robin." The boy muttered, pulling his face as far as he could from Kid's intent, glowing gaze. "Who are you?"

"My name is Death The Kid. Her name is Maka." Kid said, looking back at the indifferent blonde.

"Death The Kid…" The boy, Robin, seemed to be tossing the name around in his head. "_The _Death The Kid? Lord Death's son, right?" He raised an eye brow.

"Ah, yes. So you've heard of me. You're from Death City then, I presume?" Kid asked, though pretty sure of the answer.

Robin nodded his head slowly, still glaring at the young reaper. "You're Lord Death's son…?" He still seemed like he was trying to digest that bit of information other than repeating it as a question.

"Yes, what's so hard to believe about that?" Kid uttered, a defensive tone creeping into his otherwise impassive voice.

"You brought down Anubis?" He seemed as if he was about to start laughing. "He brought down Anubis?" He asked again, this time looking past the disgruntled reaper and at the meister behind him.

"Yes, he is Lord Death's son." Maka replied, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

Robin completely lost it. "Look," he giggled in between laughs "I don't know what your boyfriends been telling you, lady, but I don't think he's Lord Death's _son." _

"And why, might I ask, do you think I'm not?" Kid said in almost a snarl, Robin's implication about Maka going unnoticed.

"Just because!" He exclaimed, trying to through his hands up to make a point, but was quickly reminded that they were still in restraints. "Look at you! You look so… Weak. To be honest, I don't know how the two of you have made it this far. You look like some preppy rich boy." He nodded at Kid, then looked over at Maka, "And you're just a girl."

He snapped viciously without a warning instant. Quicker than anyone could blink, Kid had the front of Robin's shirt clenched tightly in his fist as he pinned the boy's back to the tree, his nose almost touching the childs' and yellow eyes glowing menacingly at the boy's bright blues. Maka stood up, utterly shocked at the mellow reaper's sudden violent actions. "You listen." His voice came out in a low growl. "You're young and I get that. I don't expect you to have the perfect, mature manners of someone my age, but I do expect you to show me _and_ Maka a little respect. You're staying with us. There is no negotiating that; it's far too dangerous for anyone to be alone out there, let alone a child. Now we can do this one of two ways. You can treat us properly and we will treat you properly and untie you, or you can keep acting like a spoiled three year old and stay in time out." Kid's gaze never wavered from the boy's, nor the boy's from Kid's. "And I'll have you know," The reaper added as an after thought, "I'd rather have Maka fight along side me in battle than most men I know; and that's because of her skill. I would even go as far as saying she could even kick my ass, so I wouldn't be so foolish and underestimate her." He let go of the boy's shirt and heard him fall to the ground with a light thud. Everything was silent as Kid walked around to where he had previously been sitting on the other side of the fire.

Everything was quiet for a minute until Robin cleared his throat, which made the two teens jerk their heads simultaneously in his general direction. "Death The Kid?... May I please have that granola bar?"

* * *

The rest of the night was fairly quiet and, just as every night before it, restless. After Kid's awkward attempt to feed Robin while he was still in restraints, they decided to untie him, just for a little while, so he could finish eating and take a bathroom break. Though of course, much to his dismay, they replace the torn backpack strap a few minutes after he had downed his protein bar. Unfortunately, after finding the boy, neither teen had any desire to begin another round of the question game. It was sometime a little after dawn when Robin finally broke the silence.

"So… I'm staying with you?"

"Yes." Kid answered, somewhat coldly.

"Well, can I at least go back and get my stuff?" He tried.

"No." The raven hair boy replied before adding, "we'll all go back to get it."

"Well, let's go then! We have to get it before the others find it." Robin whined.

"The others?" Maka question, "There's more of you? I mean, more kids you age?"

"No, no, no." He shook his head. "There's other people out there. There gonna take my stuff! I bet you it's already gone." He sighed in dismay.

Kid and Maka looked at each other, as if they had the same thought. _The rest of the team. _"Other people? What did they look like?" Maka pressed.

Robin scrunched up his face, trying to remember. "I only got a glance, but there was a bunch. Ten, fifteen guys maybe. They all looked like they had been living in the woods for weeks though."

Kid frowned a bit when he said 'guys'. So the twin pistols weren't with them; well part of him was hoping they weren't, if it was ten to fifteen _men. _He shuddered at the thought of what could happen if the men found the girls before he did. "Did you see anyone with white hair? O-Or blue? What about a girl with long black hair pulled back?" Maka still seemed hopeful.

"Blue hair? No…" He said, giving her a strange look. "And I don't think there was any old guys with them, so no to the white hair. And I only saw boys." Maka's heart sunk, maybe Soul and the others didn't make after all.

* * *

**So, I walk into my bathroom and the toilet paper is folded into a triangle and I completely flip out, all excited, and then my 11 year old sister starts laughing from the other room. Apparently she watched Soul Eater from the recently watched queue from Netflix, likes Death The Kid and enjoys to torture her older sister.**

**On another note, will be going out of town at least until thursay night, maybe later, meaning no updates until I get back. I will still try to be writing, but I will not have any internet access… So yeah… Sorry! And also, the Kid and Maka I had on my screen has now turned into about 20 Kids and Makas. Its kinda awesome :D**

**Replies~!**

**Checkered Brook**- Yeah, I know! And I don't understand why they don't even have at least a good _friendship. _I mean really, they are both uber smart, like to read, follow instructions, polite and so much more! They seem like once they met, they would just hit it off! But oh well… I felt in necessary to build it up a lot before the fluff, but a zombie apocalypse really would bring two people closer together. And yes, he is on hell of a kid, quite literally, as you just red (read?... Idk its too late to think about it) But I won't go into details about him yet ;)

**Jeager's Paradise**- Thank you! And I know, when I first thought of this idea I was like 'oh! That'd be cool! Total destruction and fear like that would totally bring two lost teens closer together!' then I was like 'crap… the show already has a zombie..' so just ignore Sid ^^' And yeah, I made the decision to add the little boy pretty early on when I was developing the story. He's pretty essential, but I won't say just in what way yet…. And thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Guest-** Sometimes I manage to upload everyday, but sometimes my ADD (mixed with my ADHD and OCD…) takes me off track of writing and I end up doing other things ^^' But thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it!

**Mikaela**- Dude, I didn't even think about it being Blackstar XD I guess it sorta sounded like him the way I described it XD Thanks! Your awesome too :D hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!


	13. Chapter 13

**Consider this…. A 'thank you for waiting for a ridiculous amount of days for an update' chapter. It's longer than normal. Something tells me you guys will like it.**

* * *

"Uhg! What is that _smell?" _Maka said, her fingers rushing up to pinch her nose. Kid shrugged, his face contorted in disgust.

Robin tilted his head slightly. "Smell? I don't smell any… Oh, look! There it is!" The boy grinned, showing the first sign of happiness since being 'captured' by the two teens and pointing up into the trees. Kid had made an agreement with Robin earlier that morning. He agreed he would let Robin free of the restraints if he agreed to stay with them. Of course Kid had already given him that option a few hours before, but that had also been the time where he almost made the poor boy wet his pants. Robin, though slightly reluctant and claiming he could handle his own, agreed, but insisted that they were to get his stuff. The reaper happily accepted on those terms; besides, the boy might have some supplies that would be worth while to the three of them.

Looking up to where Robin had been pointing, Kid stopped dead in his tracks. Maka looked at him in confusion, then followed his line of sight and let out a small gasp. Robin, already in the tree, looked down at the pair with a smug smile, then proceeded his climb up into the branches. "See? Didn't I tell you I could take care of myself? Why did you think there weren't that many Rotters around here?"

Kid's eyes widened as he took in the scene. Several, _at least _a dozen, severed Rotters' heads had been skewered on the branched of the very Oak Robin had just climbed up into. Maka gawked at the oozing heads, some of which even had their eyes gouged out, or worse, only hanging on by a small piece of grayish brown flesh. "Well that would defiantly explain the smell…" Maka said, putting the obvious two and two together. "And the lack of Rotters… Robin, did you do all of this?" She question, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer. Already reaching the tops of the branches, the black haired boy paused to acknowledge Maka by showing off a proud smile and nodding his head furiously. Maka shivered, not just from the creepiness of it all, but the weather did seem to get considerably colder over the night.

"Yep! Every one of them. See, I think their used to chasing people on the ground; but when something jumps down on them from above, they don't know what to do!" He giggled the last few words. If Kid didn't know any better, he would've thought the boy was actually _enjoying_ the memory. "They just kinda stop." He paused his climbing for emphasis. "Even if there's more than one! They all stop!" He was almost in full out laughter by now. Kid thought on the tactic and almost laughed at the simplicity in it. Was it really that easy? You just jump down on them and you're home free? "I don't think they like seeing the heads either." Robin's squeaky voice brought Kid back from his thoughts. "They don't _ever _dare come over here!" Kid nodded, of course the heads were what kept away the Rotters; but not exactly for the reason the young boy thought. As they learned before, the Rotters are most sensitive to smell; and this was indeed an offensive one that couldn't be mistaken for something living.

One by one, small bags toppled down from the tree tops. After about the third bag, the rustling of the leaves stopped and Kid though he saw Robin looking around, an alarmed look plastered on his face. "Theif!" The small boy screamed, obviously uncaring if anything heard him. Maka and Kid looked at each other with alarm filled eyes. _Theif? _Kid's mind raced at all the possibilities. Theives? Out here? Did that mean there were others around? And if there were, and they had truly stolen something, what's to say they wouldn't go further? Or even worse, what if the Rotters' ability to learn had been increasing much faster than the young reaper expected? Could Rotters really have done this? Kid subconsciously wrapped his hands around his backpack straps; it was a good thing they decided to carry their stuff with them.

"Thief! Thief!" The small boy continued to yell as he started back down the tree.

"Robin, Shush! If there really is a thief, do you really think yelling it out is really the best idea?" Kid said, trying to speak loud enough for the boy to hear, but quiet enough not to alert any perpetrators. Maka began scanning the area for anyone who might be lurking in the shadows when something brushed up against her leg. She jumped back and looked down only to see a small black and white kitten staring back up at her with friendly green eyes.

"Thief!" Robin called, this time sounding more relived than urgent. He slide down the rest of the tree in a matter of seconds and ran over to the little ball of fur, but before he could reach it, Kid had already swooped it up and held it in front of his face, examining it. By the time Robin had walked over to Kid with an irritated look on his face, the reaper had a wide eyed expression.

"He's absolutely perfect…" He said in awe, then turned to Maka, astonishment filling his golden gaze. "He's perfectly symmetrical!" He smiled, telling her as if it were the question that haunted her every thought. The blonde meister shook her head smiling to herself. She had to admit, she did find the death god's obsession with symmetry rather… unique. But in a good way.

Robin snatched the squirming kitten from the shinigami's grasp and held him close to his chest. "Don't hold him like that. You'll hurt him." He gently set the now purring cat on the ground and walked over to his stuff, slinging the three backpacks over his shoulder.

"So, Robin, what exactly is missing?" Maka asked, not entirely sure of anything anymore.

"Missing?" He tilted his head in such a way it was almost comical.

"Yeah, you said someone stole something." Kid encouraged.

"No…" He shook his head, black hair slinging back and forth.

"You _just _yelled thief!"

Robin stated laughing. "No, no, no. Thief is my kitty!

* * *

As the day progressed, the weather seemed to take a toll for the worst. It wasn't snowing quite yet, but it had defiantly gotten considerably colder and pale grey clouds threatened from the sky above. Sure the trio had a considerably large fire going, but this didn't seem to help with the bone chilling breeze. Other than the less than uncomfortable weather, the rest of the day had been more or less average, and the two teens were extremely thankful for Robin's sudden eagerness to obey. They, mostly Kid, decided that Robin could keep Thief, but it seem like they really had a choice otherwise since the small ball of fur rarely strayed too far from the blue eyed boy; this seemed to change Robin's attitude towards the meisters, and he seemed to already be getting comfortable around them.

"I'm cold… and _hungry." _The small boy whined for the umpteenth time since the sun had gone down."

"Too bad." Kid said through his teeth, irked by the child's constant complaints. It was a wonder the kid had even survived on his own, he seemed so needy. They had already given the boy more food than they could spare as well as most of the extra clothing they had in their backpacks. That along with the small sleeping bag he had stowed away in one of his bags apparently wasn't enough to keep the child warm.

Maka looked down at the small cat, batting at the now loose shoelaces of her old worn tennis shoes. "When I was little, I always wanted a cat…" She said somewhat absently, smirking down at the tumbling ball of fur. "But Papa and Mama were rarely ever home, and said it was too much responsibility to have a pet seeing as they had such busy jobs." Maka scratched the tiny animal behind the ear, causing it to lean into every touch. "I guess Papa felt bad for me, so he got me a little stuffed kitten. It's kinda dumb to think a stuffed animal could ever replace the real thing, but I still loved it; and the fact that Papa at least thought about me..." She let her smirk grow to a smile. "It even almost looked like this little guy… I almost brought it with me but I guess I forgot it…" She trailed off, obviously not wanting to continue as her smile faded.

"Is that why you agreed to let Blair live with you?" Kid cocked an eyebrow, looking over at the blonde meister and trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Well, not really… That just sort of… Happened; though she could be nice company when she wanted, in cat form of course." She laughed a little, but her amused expression slowly slipped and her smile turned to a frown. "I wonder what happened to her..." She let her mind wonder off to everyone else she had known; Sid. Stein. Marie. Papa… Anyone that was in Death City could now be walking lifelessly, only carried by instinct. This made her think about the others, Tsubaki, Blackstar… Soul… The partner she felt she betrayed. The partner she left for dead. It was only when she felt something sliding down her face that she registered the fact that she was crying.

Kid looked over to the quiet meister and was only able to tell that she was crying when the light from the fire had hit her face just right, revealing a small shiny trail that led from her eye to her chin. He sighed inwardly; he knew that conversation was going south whenever she had began reminiscing her childhood and her father. He knew that when Maka had said '_her'_, she really meant _'them'. _There was no doubt that she was mourning for her lost friends and family. Kid felt a pit of guilt and sympathy in his stomach. He had no idea what the girl felt, he never exactly connected with anyone in the group like Maka did. Of course he cared for all of their well being, and he would happily put his life in exchange for any of theirs, but he knew there was no way his sorrow could match that of the blonde next to him. He looked over at her again. She was still crying, but her expression was like stone; cold and unreadable. She looked so numb. Only the icy wind was able to make her wince slightly as the wetness on her face chilled. Kid inched closer to her and put an arm around her, half for comfort, half for warmth. She didn't stiffen, nor did she lean into his touch, she simply stayed still; but it wasn't awkward. Kid figured very few things could be awkward to each other anymore.

"You know I can't tell you everything will be ok." Kid said, just above a whisper. "I don't want to give false hope." Maka nodded just barely, but Kid felt it.

"I'm cold…" Robin whispered sincerely, rather than in a whine. Kid nodded his head slightly, careful not to disturb Maka, whose head now lay limply between his shoulder and his chest, signaling for Robin to go over there. Unsure, the boy slowly walked over to the two teens, his sleeping bag dragging behind him. Catching Kids gaze at the bag, the smaller boy unzipped it completely, took a spot next to Maka and draped it over the three of them and Thief, who rested between the scythe meister's shoes. The reaper was just about to check the other two's souls before Maka spoke.

"You stink…" She muttered.

"Do not!" the child retorted louder than necessary. "I washed up today!"

"Not you." She mumbled through an undevoted chuckle.

Kid smiled, "Speak for yourself." It was around that time when Kid had a feeling thing just might be ok.

* * *

**Thank you guys for being so patient while I was on vacation. I had a great time, I even went to a concert and had an aisle seat, and one of the band members entered the stage by going back in the row behind us and then walking down the aisle. He looked at me o.o I was noticed o.o Anyways, enough with my chatter and fan-girlness.**

**Replies~!**

**Checkered Brooke-** Won't it be fun indeed. I'm trying to make this kid seem like Hell on legs. Is it working? XD I think I'd be a little afraid of him…

**AkiraSaphire-** You do? I think I might, but I'm not sure! Please share! Haha I didn't know it seemed like anything was going on XD

**Courgae-Earthworm'8-** Ooooh, that would be fun. But I think if we push anymore of Kid's buttons he just might pop. Maybe… I got a little something up my sleeve.

**Jeager's Paradise**- I do hope that little bit of action was satisfying? Hmmm… A maternal Maka? I would think that she's maybe borderline… Like she _really_ does care for the kid, but she's a bit overwhelmed and knows she's ill prepared to take care of such an… eccentric kid.

**Evilkatnyah**- Yeah, I actually teach a class of 5 year olds on Sundays, and theres this one kid who came up to me and pointed at the Chinese symbol on my necklace and told me it said mouse. He was right, actually, because it symbolized year of the rat. He then continued to sit down and write _sheet _music and then sing out the notes correctly. Thus, genius Robin was born! As for the advise, I messaged you :D

**PyschopathicXangel**- Thank you! And I can't reply to the rest of your review; spoilers!

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- Isn't it ironic you talk about a cat and then I post a chapter like this XD See? Fate does have a sense of humor. And my little kitty always sits next to me while I'm writing XD I guess something in my head assures me that if a rotter were to enter my room, she'd go all Kamikaze on it giving me time to escape ._.


	14. Chapter 14

This was the first night either of them had gotten any sleep. Maka was utterly shocked when she woke up to see the sun starting to peak over the treetops. She tried to sit up from where she laid on the ground, but felt a restraint tightening around her waist. She lifted up the sleeping bag that covered her, hissing slightly at the sudden burst of cold air began reaching the lower half of her body, to find Kid's arm resting in the small dip on her side between her hip and the bottom of her rib cage. As the chill hit Robin, whose body had been completely submerged by the blanket and laid just in front of the blonde, he mumbled defiantly and tightened the ball he had been curled into. Maka rolled her eyes and plucked Kids arm off from around her, causing him to stir. She couldn't tell if he was in that position because it was most convenient for warmth or simply for the fact that he was a teenage boy. She decided to go with the former just because it seemed more reasonable; and she didn't really want all the awkwardness that could follow the latter.

"Kid, wake up." She muttered sleepily, rolling over and nudging him gently in the chest with her elbow.

His golden eyes shot open, dilating from the sudden light exposure then returning to normal. "Mmm? What happened?" He slurred heavily, his eyes going half lidded when he realized Maka wasn't in a panic.

"'s morning." Maka whispered, beginning to sit up and stretch her stiff muscles. Sleeping on the ground was far from comfortable, but Maka would defiantly take it over the alternative of another sleepless night.

"Oh." Kid replied, "Well g'morning then." He continued, his voice still heavy with sleep. Letting out a yawn, Kid propped himself up on his elbows and looked around in a daze. "Well, I guess that solves the sleep depravity problem…" He sucked in a deep breath and let his limbs stretch out.

Maka stood up, looking around just as the young reaper had done. "I guess we're lucky it was a quiet night, huh?"

Kid felt guilt grow in the pit of his stomach. He was supposed to be the one to watch over them. "Yeah, I suppose so…" He sighed avoiding Maka's gaze, bringing himself to his feet and taking the blanket partially with him.

"Stop it…" Robin hissed between clenched teeth from the ground. Kid threw the sleeping bag over the complaining child.

"We were all tired." Maka started, taking in Kid's guilt filled expression. "You needed that." Kid shrugged. "Anyways, we need to find something to eat. I think I remember seeing some fishing stuff in one of Robin's bags." She attempted trying to ease the young death god's guilt. She walked over to the pile of dirt covered bags but stopped and looked over at the heap of blankets. "Robin. We're going to borrow some of your stuff." She called in respect for his belongings but receiving a disturbed grunt as he turned facing away from them under the covers. She shrugged and proceeded to the zipper of one of the packs. Sure enough, she pulled out a fishing line and a small box of hooks. She looked back at the shinigami and smiled, only to obtain a confused yellow gaze in return.

"I don't know how to fish… Besides what about a pole? And bait?"

Maka rolled her eyes. The reaper really was hopeless when it came to rough living. Luckily he had her. "I can teach you; and you don't _need _a pole; you can just throw the line and reel it in manually. As for bait, you find your own."

"Oh… ok…" Kid muttered, still uncertain.

* * *

The three of them made their way to the side of the stream, Robin grumbling words a five year old shouldn't under his breath. The wind had died down considerably and the temperature had risen a bit, but it was still too cool to be considered warm.

"So… How do you find bait?" Kid asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot like an antsy child.

Robin gawked at Kid with a gaze that wavered between astonishment and utter shame then looked back at Maka. "Is this guy serious?"

"He's never fished before," She said in an amused tone. "You two start looking for grasshoppers, I'll dig for worms." Robin gave a salute then ran towards some bushes, but not too far out of sight; Kid hesitated. Maka looked back at the reaper. "Well?"

"M-Me too?" Kid asked, eyes widening slightly, his expression reading as the sole definition of helpless.

"Yeeees…" Maka extended, raising an eyebrow.

"B-but I don't know how to catch them- or what to do with them- and surely I'll stain my pants in the grass! What if it's asymmetrical?! I don't think I've ever come across a symmetrical stain before-" Kid paused as he felt Maka's eyes boring into him.

"Ask Robin for help," Maka said, trying to hold her temper. "You're a boy! Didn't you even catch bugs when you were little?" Kid shook his head. "Wow, I'm a girl and even _I_ used to chase after bugs… But as for you're asymmetry crisis… Try not to think about it."

"Try not to think about it?! How can you-" He stopped again as Maka's gaze began to turn into a glare. Defeated Kid walked over to Robin, hardly unable to think past all the asymmetrical thoughts yelling for attention in his brain.

"Are you gonna help me?" Robin called from the ground, though he sounded more playful than upset for the lack of help. "See, look!" He displayed two pitiful looking bright green and brown insects between two dirty fingers to which Kid made a revolted face. "You just gotta step in the tall grass and they go everywhere!" He grinned, then ran over to Maka to hand her his catch. The small boy whispered something to Maka and they both looked over at the reaper and giggled. Kid pouted slightly and began prodding into the tall grasses, pulling back his hand quickly every time a bug would leap from within. "You gotta be quicker than that!" Robin called, walking back towards Kid, who was now kneeling just outside the patch of tall grasses. "And don't be such a scaredy cat!" He scoffed in amusement.

"I beg your pardon? I am anything but a scaredy cat!" Kid retorted, appalled.

"Then catch one." The boy smirked.

Kid looked back to the grass skeptically, flicking a few blades. Finally after a few seconds of attempting to disturb a grasshopper, a large, rather slow, beetle ran in front of Kid's finger tips. Smirking at his luck, the reaper snatched up the beetle and gave the child behind him a victorious grin, only to have a pair of blue eyes roll at him. "That's cheating. He was basically asking for you to catch him. Besides, Maka said _grasshoppers." _

Hesitantly, Kid called over to Maka. "Hey! Would beetles count?"

"I guess if it will fit on the hook it should." Maka said, hooking the two bugs Robin had given her before.

Kid grinned at the small boy triumphantly. "It still counts. And see? I even did it keeping perfect symmetry." He stuck his tongue childishly then examined his still clean hands.

Kid sighed as he sat next to Maka, watching the stream go past them with a vacant look in his eyes. They had been out there for a few hours now and had only caught a small fish, Kid thought he could remember Maka calling it a Crappie. It looked like it might be big enough for maybe one of them to eat, if at all. At least Robin had found ways to entertain himself that didn't involve whining or getting into any potential danger; he had settled for skipping rocks and trying to get them to the other side. He was a ways down stream of course so he didn't scare the fish, but the reaper could just make out the top of his black hair.

Maka sighed next to him as she pulled in yet another empty, yet still baited, hook. She tossed it back out, though a little upstream considering it would only make it's way down, and tied the other end to a nearby branch. "I'll leave it there for a bit. Maybe we'll have some luck if I just leave it alone for a minute." Kid nodded in acknowledgement. Looking around for entertainment, the scythe meister began collecting round, flattened rocks. Noticing the odd looks she was getting from the shinigami she paused. "Don't tell me you've never skipped rocks…" Kid shook his head. "Well you can't say that anymore." She smiled, gathering a few more rocks in her hand, beginning upstream passed where the line had been cast.

"What about Robin?" Kid said, hoisting himself up on his feet.

"He'll be fine. Besides, it won't be for very long." Maka shrugged. Kid nodded in agreement and followed the pigtailed girl a ways up stream. Once satisfied with the location, Maka stopped and looked at the boy trailing behind her. "Watch, like this." She showed him the rock in her hand before flinging it at the water where it skipped once, twice and then a third and final time, causing small ripples with every touch.

"Is that all?" Kid questioned, an eyebrow raised. Maka nodded, handing him a rock.

"Now let's see _you _do it." She grinned. He rolled his eyes and tossed the rock just as she had done, causing it to land with a very unimpressive flop.

"Not so cocky now, huh?" Maka smirked, handing him another rock as he looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I see. You're holding it all wrong. You've just got to…" Getting flustered with a verbal explanation, she took his hand in hers and positioned his fingers around the rock properly. "Now just put all the power into flicking your wrist." He tossed it causing it to hit once and attempted a second skip but ultimately sank somewhere in the process.

"Damn… This is childish." Kid deemed, obviously frustrated.

"Is not." Maka said, shoving him playfully with a smile, but he lost his balance and steadied himself finally with a single foot in the water. He paused, allowing a dumbfounded look creep into his features as he realized what exactly had just happened before he placed his other foot in the water as well to balance it out. Maka tried to hold in a giggle, but was interrupted by a yelling voice.

"Maka! Death The Kid!" It was Robin, and he sounded like he was running. "People!" He screamed.

"Kid?! Maka!" Two other, different voices called. The two teens looked at each other, eyes wide as they recognized exactly who it was.

* * *

**Dun. Dun. Duuuuuuuu. **

**Just...**

**Wow.**

**Anyways. Moving on.**

**This is kind of an on-going joke between me and my cousin because we have this huge conservation type forest place thingy by our house and it has a 20 minute trail that you can walk and you come to a lake. We go out there almost daily and when you're out there, you feel **_**completely **_**secluded from any type of society and it really feels like someone could get lost out there and would have to live off the land. We like to boast about how well we would do if we ever got stuck out there somehow even though there's an obvious, straight forward trail. Our trips out there is really what inspires these chapters XD We went today, actually. I would've had the chapter out earlier, but we were out there for awhile… **

**Replies~!**

**Jeager's Paradise-** Well, Maka is _kinda_ being maternal if you squint XD and as for the rest of the cast… Well… yeah, it's in this chapter, same with a little bit of romance, again, if you squint (Though I hardly think you'd have to squint to see Kid holding Maka in their sleep XD )

**Checkered Brooke**- This is very much a bonding chapter XD just a lot of light hearted shiz. And as for that calm before the storm, (I think you were the one who mentioned it awhile back…) I say the longer and calmer the calm is, the worse the storm will be :)

**DeathTheKidsDionsaurRawr**- That's ok, my cat _hates_ everything; except me. Like, she literally goes Kamikaze on someone and then comes to me and purrs her head off. But I don't think she'd save me… My dog probably would though :3 She's a Rhodesian Ridgeback so she's pretty big XD

**Carifoo2001**- I'd hardly say the best, but thank you! I really appreciate it! And I hope you will be happy to know I have no intentions to quit writing, so yep :) glad you're enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

**Evilkatnyah**- If you call that strange than I suppose I'm right there with you. And actually, that is the exact scene I had in mind when writing it, so just imagine Kid giving Thief that same adorable face and you basically have that scene in your head right there. As for the rest of your comment…. Uhmm…. Can't say! Sorry!


	15. Chapter 15

**Oh my gosh. These chapters keep running long! Oh well, I don't think you guys mind… Right? **

* * *

Robin stopped running, a determined look on his face as he contemplated his next actions. He'd killed dozens of Rotters with no problem before, what were three humans? Besides, two of them were _girls… _But Maka was a girl… He shivered at the thought of underestimating Maka. He had never actually seen her in action, but Kid sure made it seem like she was someone to respect and if he didn't respect her, well; he had seen Kid when he was angry… He shuttered again. Now it was his turn. _He _was gonna show _them_ how powerful he was. He turned, snarling in the process and reached down to pull a descent sized blade from its place tucked in his sock. He gave the small group a menacing sneer as he held it tightly, combat style, knowing his expression could make milk curdle. The three trespassers stopped, furrowing there brows at such an action from a small child. "Leave. Us. _Alone." _He growled, shocked at how deadly he was able to make his voice sound.

"Aww, look at the little bloke! He's so cute!" The male sneered, smirking slightly, crouching down to Robin's level. The young boy only tightened his grip on the blade that was dangerously close to the older man's face.

"Robin!" The small boy's death glare wavered at the blonde meisters voice.

"Maka, I got this." He said, his voice lighter in respect towards the green eyed girl, but still had a threatening edge. These intruders needed to learn not to judge a book by its cover.

"N-No, Robin-"

"M-Maka?! One of the girls, she seemed to be the eldest of the two trespassers, gasped. She sounded if she might start crying.

"Maka, is it-?" The small boy, still in his combat stance, heard Kid's voice falter, and when the two girls in front of him began getting lower and lower to the ground in tears, Robin relaxed from his position.

"L-Liz, Patty!" Kid yelled, running to his twin pistols, his knees almost failing, causing him to trip over his feet; but he was already in front of the girls and his trip could've easily been mistaken for him stooping down to their level.

"Kid…" Liz said, wrapping her trembling arms around her meister. Maka stood back, smiling and placing a reassuring hand on Robin's tense shoulder. Liz looked up, seeing the blonde meister and rushed to give her a bone crushing hug as well. "Maka! How did you guys… We thought everyone else was…" Liz stepped back, trying to form a complete sentence. Maka just nodded, she understood.

"Uhmm… Maka?" Robin muttered, taking a few steps back form the scythe meister. She looked down to see Patty inches from the blue eyed boy's face, poking his cheek. Liz seemed to notice the child too and looked from her meister to Maka, an eyebrow raised.

"Maka and Kid had a baby!" Patty squealed, continuing to poke the irritated child, who looked as if he would snap any minute.

"Uhm, Patty, I don't think that's a good idea…" Kid muttered, ignoring her comment and moving a now growling Robin out of the blonde's reach.

"Yeah, uh, Patty? I don't think they've had enough time for that." Liz stated, though she did note that if circumstances were different, the child's mousey features did favor Maka's… And then the raven black hair… She shook her head, throwing away the foolish thoughts. "But really, who is he?" She stooped down to his level, offering a kind smile that wasn't returned. Robin furrowed his brow, giving the girl dirty looks while partially hiding behind Kid's leg. "He's so _cute." _Liz almost squealed, failing to feel the full effect of his death glare.

"I'll show you cute…" Robin spat under his breath, marching up to the fawning pistol only to be held back by something grabbing his shirt. He turned to find that Maka had a fist full of his shirt and shook her head disapprovingly. Robin rolled his eyes with a huff and stopped his advance.

After greeting his two weapons, Kid let his eyes wonder to the third member of their party who had stayed silent. He let a smirk play on his face as he took in the familiar sandy brown hair and blue eyes. Staz. He was to be trusted, he had kept the girls safe after all. "It's good to see you again." The reaper said, holding out a hand.

Staz gave a quirky half smirk and shook Kid's hand. "Same to you."

Maka smiled as she walked up next to Kid and looked up at the brunette. "Hey, Kid. You think we should check him for guns?" She joked and thankfully Staz caught the humor and held up his hands in a surrendering motion.

"That's not me, miss, honest." He laughed. "I'm not all that keen on guns. That's Riz."

With that, Maka let her face completely fall. The memory bombarded her like a ton of bricks. The adrenaline rushing through her veins as she fought side by side with the two boys she trusted her life to. The feeling of dread once she realized they were completely overwhelmed. She felt a shadow of the pain that had shot up her ankle. She remembered the friendly smile Riz had gave her in his final moments, a peace offering of redemption, only to have the teeth of the undead bite into his flesh. The screams and cries for help that were let out just before Blackstar had kill him in mercy.

Kid noticed Maka's sudden shift in emotions, and apparently so did Staz. "You alright, miss?"

Maka blinked a few times before coming back to reality. _He doesn't know his brother is gone. _She put on a fake smile and nodded her head. _This was a time to celebrate. Now was not the time to share something like this. _

* * *

After a very brief catch up; Maka went back to retrieve her abandoned hook and line to find a very decent sized catfish tugging at the end of it. Deciding to stay a few hours more to try their new found luck, the blonde meister and her friends returned to Maka and Kid's camp with the small crappie, two catfish and a small mouth bass.

Out of the crowd, it was no surprise that only Maka and Staz knew how to properly clean and prepare the fish. Thankfully, this night didn't seem to hold the same bone chilling qualities as the night before; in fact, the weather was quite pleasant, if not only slightly chilly. Robin climbed up and down nearby trees while playing with Theif, Staz sat contently quiet on one side of the fire preparing the bass with Patty looking over his shoulder, Liz perched on a small fallen log between Staz and her meister as she idly picked at her nails and Kid watched in amazement, and disgust, as Maka took the sharpest knife available and began to decapitate one of the catfish. "I never knew a fish could have so much… Blood. And that smell!" He inched closer to the meister to get a better look, but didn't offer to help once as he wrinkled his nose.

Maka just smiled, not particularly caring if she had any assistance. It really was a one person job, after all. "Yeah, it does kind of have a distinct smell; but trust me, once you start eating, I promise the smell will be the last thing you worry about." As if on queue, Kid's stomach made a pitiful gurgling noise, earning a laugh from both meisters.

"You're not much of a girl, are you?" Kid pondered, letting the words slip out of his mouth before making a complete thought in his head. He automatically wished he hadn't.

Maka paused, gave him a mockingly offended glare and elbowed him in the side of the arm, careful not to sling the fish guts that now resided in her hands. "What do you mean I'm not a girl?" She smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"No, I mean, you're a girl of course." He paled, trying to search for a deeper meaning that may or may not exist for what he had just said. "I guess I mean… You're not like other girls. In a good way!" He tacked on the last part, trying to avoid another elbow to the arm.

"Ok then, I have the right to say you're not like other boys, shinigami." She smiled though her eyes were focused on the fish carcass in front of her. "In a good way."

The two meisters chit chatted and laughed for awhile, but this didn't go unnoticed by a certain demon pistol. Liz smirked as she saw the connection between the two that had never been there before. Sure, maybe it was just that tough times and pulled strings had brought friendships closer than they would have been otherwise, but this was the first time Kid ever actually… well… _flirted _with a girl. And she was almost positive she had never heard him _giggle _before this night. It was almost as if Kid had subconsciously found himself some sort of scrapped together family; he had Maka as his wife, Robin as their child and they even had a _little kitten. _Liz squealed inwardly at the cuteness. After their conversation had obviously died down and Maka and Staz where just about done cleaning the fish, the sun had just peaked behind the trees to be replaced with the mysterious grinning moon. Now was as good a time as ever.

Liz stood up from her place on the log and stretched a little. "Hey Kid?" She called, earning the black haired boy's attention from the now filleted fish and scythe meister. "Do you think you could take me back down to that stream we had met at? I figured I might as well wash some of our clothes and let them dry overnight and I don't really remember the way down there…" Finding nothing wrong with the request, Kid complied, retrieving a few weapons as the older sister retrieved a few articles of clothing out of her own backpack.

After the two had gotten a safe distance from the camp, Liz rounded on her meister. "Alright, Kid. Spill it." She smirked in the dark.

"Spill? Spill what?" Wow, he really was clueless. Liz sighed, she supposed she would have to spell it out for him.

"Well, I can see _you _and _Maka... _You guys kinda have a thing."

Kid paused for a second, the only sound heard was crickets and the soft steps of the two teens. "A… _Thing?" _The way he said it made it obvious he had no idea what she was talking about. "Liz, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"You like Maka!" She hissed, trying to keep her voice down, knowing _anything _could be out there listening to them.

"Yeees." Kid drew out, Liz could almost hear an eyebrow rising in his voice. "Of course I like Maka. She's a very respectable person and a formidable fighter. Plus, her optimist personality makes it difficult not to-"

"No, Kid." Liz interrupted. "You _like_ like her. I mean… Like…" She started getting flustered over her own words. "You like her more than a _friend." _She tried.

Silenece. More silence, though Liz was sure she could hear the wheels turning in his head. "Oh." He finally spoke, though it was almost inaudible. "_Oh." _He said a bit louder this time. "No I don't." Kid deadpanned.

"Do too." Liz smirked as she mentally poked at her meister's mind.

"Do not." He replied simply.

"Do _too." _Liz said, almost in a laugh by now as they reached the side of the small stream.

"I'm not going to stand here and play these childish games with you, Liz. Maka is merely a cherished friend of mine and I refuse to see her as anything more." Kid retorted as he stood back and let his weapon clean her laundry.

"It's ok, Kid. Really. Maka's a really sweet girl; I'm surprised you two didn't hook up before. You both… read." She finished lamely, punctuating her words with splashing and silence accordingly.

"So you're suggesting just because we _read _we should 'hook up'?" Kid asked, though his voice seemed to hold no emotion.

"No, no, no." Liz shook her head. "You're missing the point. I think you and Maka seem to… kind of… connect somehow. You guys just seem to fit, ya know?"

"No, not really."

Liz sighed again. "Typical guy…" She muttered to herself as she wrung out the last of her clothes. She figured she had one last chance to get to Kid before he completely tuned her out and wrote it of as her having a 'teenage girl moment'. "Hey Kid?"

"What is it, Liz?" He said airily.

"Have you ever noticed how… _symmetrical_ Maka is?" She tried. Kid was quiet, but he did seem to be pondering the thought.

"No… I suppose I haven't," he finally answered turning back towards camp and falling in step with his weapon. Liz mentally shook her head as he dropped the conversation. _It was worth a try… _She thought bitterly as the silence engulfed the two.

The smell of freshly cooked fish was evident in the air yards away from their camp and Kid's stomach began to grumble. He went and sat back in his seat next to Maka upon return and smiled gratefully as she handed him his share of the fish. He did a double take after the scythe meister had turned away and cocked his head slightly. _Huh._

_She really is symmetrical. _

* * *

**Awww! Kiddo-kun!I figured I should post this tonight since I sorta left yall with a big cliffhanger ^^' **

**Replies~!**

**Jeagar's Paradise**- Yes! I was thinking about it and was like 'wow… I bet Kidd didn't really learn much about the outdoors or camping because he was too busy doing rich kid stuff…' XD thus hopeless Kidd was born!

**Checkered Brooke**- Yes, those cliffhangers are something aren't they? *evil grin* Forgot about Staz did we? Hahaha, I thought I would bring him back. I have something special planned.

**88EvilnBored88**- Absolutely not. I wouldn't take another actual character and deem it as my own; I've only ever reused names like I did with Staz. Robin is a completely original character from my own noggin, I just think little kids with messy black hair and blue eyes are adorable and I also liked the name Robin for a male. Thus Robin was born!

**Carifoo2001**- Don't worry, Kid and Maka will get their _alone time. _*evil grin* And the Rotters have been… Well… You'll find out later, plus Robin killed a few and they always have a fire going so, you know… The smell. But there really is a bigger reason why... But you'll know in later chapters.

**Art n' Music**- … Partially right! This would make an interesting side movie… It would defiantly make us KiMa fans happy! Haha and Liz actually made note of that little family in this chapter XD

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- O.M.G. I. WANT. A. HUSKY. No joke, I've _always. ALWAYS _wanted a husky o.o you're so lucky… (it's all cool. Its fun to get off topic sometimes.)

**Evilkatnyah**- Sweet! We hardly ever catch anything where we go, so the catfish was a big deal XD and Kidd really doesn't know how to do anything dirty?... Haha I'm sorry, I had a really good laugh at that, though I know what you meant XD And you did see a little fluff there! Haha in my opinion, I do believe Kidd was having a teenage boy moment, but we just won't tell Maka that…


	16. Chapter 16

"Alright, Robin. What's the first thing we do?" Maka whispered to the small boy crouching next to her in the bushes.

"Make sure you're down wind." He muttered, stuck his finger in his mouth, pulled it out to test the air, and then nodded.

"Good. Now, what do you aim for?"

"The head, ultimately. But since I lack in strength, I make up for it in speed. I first aim for the Achilles tendons, let it fall, then use all my strength to push my blade as hard as I can through the eye socket, the softest and easiest way to the brain." The small boy recited, all the while twisting the handle of his knife around in his hands in anticipation.

"Excellent." Maka encouraged.

It had been about a week since the three had met up with the twin pistols and Staz. The group decided to stay put in their camp for as long as they could, considering the lack of Rotters in the area. Luckily after completely running out of commercial food items and bottle water, they were able to find several wild growing fruits and vegetables; fishing and water gathering became a daily event as well. Life had been relatively good for their current circumstances; even Liz had gotten a knack for bait catching. Unfortunately, little by little the Rotters began to return and the teens all agreed it would be best to train in hand to hand combat while they weren't overwhelmed. Today, Maka had decided she should teach Robin a few other techniques besides ambushing from trees, seeing as that advantage may not always be around. Even at his young age, Maka was astounded by the learning capabilities of the child. She had only given the boy a few tips before they left, though she didn't even think he was fully listening at the time, and here he was; reciting them word for word.

Now, the pair of them stalked, down wind, a dormant lone Rotter who had taken to pulling bark chips off a tree. "Now remember, touch it as little as possible. We still aren't sure how easily the disease can be transferred other than through a bite. I'm almost certain a scratch could have the same effect." Robin nodded and looked at the green eyed girl for approval to go. Once she nodded, he slunk to closer bushes. Maka watched his every move, an impressed expression on his face. She had expected the eager child to run at the Rotter, no strategy in mind other than to kill, but he seemed to be taking his mission seriously and with great precision. The scythe meister watched as he snuck from cover to cover until he was so close to the Rotter, a single jump would cause them to be face to face.

Robin let out a long, silent breath as he ran through the strategy in his head. In an instant, he shot out from his place in the bushes and was able to easily slice through the beast's tendons before even being discovered. Unfortunately, the creature fell face first, leaving his eye sockets unexposed. Not prepared for something like this to happen, Robin though quickly and jumped on it's back and drug his knife blade through the back of it's neck as hard as he could, hoping to sever the spinal cord. Robin grinned as the writhing body went limp.

Maka nodded at the smiling boy as she came out of the bushes. "Good job." She praised. "Nice quick thinking. A quick mind is one of the best things to have in battle-" Her praise was cut short when the nearly decapitated head on the ground began to gurgle. With a slight frown, she nudged the head, being mindful of the mouth, to turn it over. Rapidly blinking blue eyes and gnashing teeth revealed themselves as the Rotter continued to fight his losing battle. Robin made a snort of disgust and jabbed his knife through its eye, silencing it once and for all.

He looked up at Maka with a curious filled gaze. "How could he survive that? His head was nearly off…" He pondered, not particularly fishing for an answer to his question, which was convenient, seeing as the blonde meister didn't have one.

* * *

After a few more flawless killings, the meister decided to call it a day, much to the young boy's dismay. He rather liked killing things. Upon returning to the camp, Maka was persuaded by the twin pistols to accompany them in washing up by the stream. The blonde meister had to admit, it was particularly nice to get away from the guys and indulge in a few creature comforts. That is, until the older sister began to bring up a few less than comfortable topics.

"You know, Maka. Despite the guys always taunting you for a lack of chest, you honestly do have nice curves." Liz said casually, wading into the chilly stream water with her sister. Luckily it had warmed up a bit, and the water wasn't unbearably cold, but it wasn't exactly your average bath water temperature either.

Maka blushed lightly, now feeling self conscious as she followed in pursuit of her friends. She knew Liz meant nothing by it other than to compliment her, but it still sounded a bit strange. She hardly ever got any compliments other than about her fighting skills or good grades; but defiantly not about her body. "Uhm… Thanks?" She muttered.

"You know, actually I wouldn't be surprised if you had guys falling for you left and right back at the academy." Liz pushed. Maybe she wasn't able to get in her meister's mind, but Maka was a girl and Liz liked to think she had a better understanding of how a woman's mind worked. She figured if she got Maka to realize her feelings for Kid, then the reaper would catch on and follow her in pursuit. Her plan was fool-proof.

"Not really." Maka muttered, not exactly wanting to get into that topic.

"Well is there any guy you would _like _to be all over you?" Liz smirked, looking over at her shy friend.

And there it goes; the conversation went fro one extreme to another. "No, not exactly…" She sighed, taking her hair down from their ponytails.

"Not _exactly_?" Liz led on.

"No." Maka said blankly, combing through her dirty hair with her fingers in the chilly water.

"What about you and Soul?" Liz pressed, she had to make sure Maka didn't have a crush on her scythe before going any further. That could just completely sever friendships.

Maka winced inwardly at the mention of her weapon, but thought through the question, trying to keep her mind off the white haired boy's whereabouts... Or condition."Me and Soul? No… I don't really have any interests in him like that…" She said, her cheeks turning slightly pink; though she believed her answer to be the truth.

"O…k…" The older sister drug out, acting like she was thinking while avoiding the vicious splashes from Patty. "What about… Kid?"

"Kid?" Maka paused, letting her fingers fall through her hair and into the water with a lame splash.

"Mhmm." Liz grinned. "I see you two being all cute and flirty." She prodded, dipping her own hair into the water but quickly returning to the surface to receive an answer; which to her surprise, came almost immediately.

"Nah, we're just friends."

"Let's play marco polo!" Patty squealed, obviously taking no interest in the other two girl's conversation.

"Really? Huh. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought the two of you had a _thing _or something…"

"Marco, Polo!"

"Like I said, we're just friends. Besides, I'm pretty sure he would only ever see me as a friend… Not that I would see _him _as anything more, either." She tacked on. So that was it, Liz concluded. She was in denial. And had a lack of confidence.

"Hmm… Maybe…" Liz mused, letting her voice sound as if she was losing interest. All part of the act. "He just seemed so happy. And I can't remember the last time he ever _giggled_."

"Marco!"

"He giggled?" Maka asked, amusement dripping in her voice.

"Polo!"

"Like a little school girl." Liz grinned deviously. Maka, herself, giggled at the mental imagine of the serious young death god giggling. What she didn't notice was the dark tinge of pink forming again on her cheeks; unfortunately for her, the elder Thompson sister did. Liz grinned greedily as she turned to her sister who gave up on the idea of Marco Polo and busied herself with a rollypolly floating on a leaf. "It's too bad, really. You guys would make a cute couple."

Maka was silent for a minute before answering. "Even if we did _consider _it, which we won't, things are just… too hectic." She sighed, only partially committed to her answer. Liz let the conversation go at that; she knew she had planted the idea in the innocent scythe meister's mind. Now all she had to do was wait.

Not long after, the girl retreated from the chilly water and attempted to dry off as best they could before putting their clothes back on. In mid-button of her she, Maka paused and tilted her head.

"What is it Maka?" Liz questioned.

The girl's green eyes widened to the size of saucers. "I-I think I'm sensing more souls…" She whispered in disbelief.

* * *

**Mhmmm… Yep. Kind of a lame ending, but if I continued, I'd have to launch into a whole different thing and it would take forever to get this chapter out. This was supposed to be finished yesterday.**

**I expect this story's chapters to go well into the twenties, maybe even hit the thirties; but I have decided there will NOT be a sequel to this, but that doesn't mean I will stop writing KiMa after this; quite the contrary, actually. I already have a new fic planned and plotted, ready to go, once Beyond Help is finished.**

**Replies~!**

**Evilkatnyah**- I just love Liz as the little match maker; because you know that's just how she is! She seems like the big sister who wants to make her little brother perfect for some girl. And yeah, she is pretty tom boy; but that's just kind of how I perceive her, I mean she fights basically for a living and she plays basketball (even if it was just that once, she didn't act like she didn't want to play, she just didn't know the rules.)

**Mikaela**- Yes, Kidd is absolutely brilliant, but I have a feeling when it comes down to _those _sort of things, he's completely hopeless! Good thing he's got big sister Liz to help him along XD

**Checkered Brooke**- I know! Everyone kept screaming at me in the reviews for the rest of the cast and in my mind I was just like 'wait a sec! wait a sec! Liz and Patty are coming soon, I promise!'

**DeathTheKidsDionsaurRawr**- Gaaaaaaaaah…. Imma take your dog! :D haha just kidding, but no, really, I've always wanted a husky/wolf mix. But I just like big dogs in general ^^'


	17. Chapter 17

"Kid!" The young reaper heard Maka yell not far from the camp. He was on his feet immediately. Were the Rotters back? Before even forming a complete thought, he was already blindly rushing to the sound of the blonde.

"Maka-" He called back, not caring about the volume of his voice, but was cut short due to the fact that he had just run into something head on, or something running into him, causing it in return to fall over. That something happened to be Maka, who jumped right back up again as if she was a Weeble.

"Kid! Did you sense tha-"

"Are you alright? What's wrong? Where's Liz and Patty? Are they ok?" Kid questioned a hundred miles an hour, adrenaline already infiltrating his veins.

"No they're fine. We're all fine- but that's not the point!" Maka said shaking her head in frustration. "Did you _feel_ that?" She said, now gripping both of his shoulders tightly is if to make him focus on the question at hand.

Kid let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. So Maka was ok. The sisters were ok… No danger… "Feel what? And where _are _Liz and Patty?" He asked, somewhat calmer, very aware of the footsteps rushing up behind him. He figured it was Staz; or maybe Robin. A quick soul perception confirmed it was both.

"The soul! I felt a soul while I was with Liz and Patty! Kid, it was so strong… You felt it too, right?" The reaper knew where this was going; even in the moonlight, Kid could see the girl's wide green eyes glittering with hope.

Kid's throat tightened in guilt, knowing his negative answer wasn't the one she was hoping for; he absolutely hated himself knowing He would be the one to destroy such a beautiful, hope-filled gaze.

Wait. _What? _

Kid shook his head to answer, shaking away his previous thoughts away along with not particularly wanting to voice his negative answer. "Oh…" was Maka's only reply. "Maybe you where just too far away, you know, with it being dulled and all-" Maka's conclusion was cut short as Staz entered the scene, slightly panicked and Robin stumbling behind him, brandish a decent sized blade.

"Oi! What's going- AH!" Staz screamed as Kid turned to face and inform him that everything was ok. "Your eyes, mate! Th-they're glowing!"

"Yes, yes. It comes with being a shinigami." Kid retorted, his luminescent orbs giving an exaggerated roll. Staz continued to gawk at him.

"Y-You're a shinigami?!" Staz stuttered, backing away from Kid eyes wide; but the reaper wasn't able to answer before he heard his weapons rushing up behind the blonde meister in front of him.

"Maka! What's going on?!" Liz called, Patty giggling behind her.

"Maka felt a soul and-" Kid began, only to be cut off by multiple voices.

"Maka found Soul?!" Liz gasped.

"He's a Shinigami!" Staz yelled, trying to inform the sisters.

* * *

After that little bit of excitement, they decided to go back to the camp and explain everything. After a brief reassurance that Kid was, in fact, not going to drag Staz's soul down to the fiery pits of hell, he agreed to come semi closer to the cam fire, though his eyes still gave him paranoid glances. Maka spoke up, obviously eager to investigate.

"We've got to go check it out! I could've sworn it was Soul's, Kid. I just know it was..." She said, almost pleading.

Kid sighed, unsure of what to do. That soul could've been anyone's, and he wasn't particularly sure of what they would run into if it wasn't someone they knew. Robin's voice echoed in his head as he recalled the young boy mentioning seeing a large group of men traveling together. True, there was a chance they could be harmless and were just trying to get by as they were, but there was also the alternative, and Kid didn't particularly want himself or anyone else in that situation. Catastrophes tend to skewer people's minds; and morality. There was also the chance that it really was Soul; Maka is his partner after all, and should be able to pin point him in a crowd. Was it really Soul that she sensed? Or was she just desperate to have her partner back? That also brought around another question; did she really even _sense _a soul? Desperation does make people do crazy things… Before Kid could give his final answer, Staz finally spoke.

"Soul..? Spiky white hair, sharp teeth? The bloke who fell into the alley, right?"

"Yes, that's him!" Maka said, eyes wide and filled with hope. Did he know something that they didn't? Had he seen Soul? Maka's expression fell as Staz looked down with a face that only someone with bad new could hold.

"Miss… I'm sorry… But I don't think he made it…"

"W-What?" Maka said, her voice almost a laugh of disbelief. "What do you mean he didn't make it? Of course he did." Kid noted that her voice was extremely thick and her eyes were becoming far too bright. He winced internally and looked away, unable to see the strong willed Maka in so much pain.

"After I saw the blue haired guy take you off, I figured you all might've needed a bit of help. I turned back, but when I looked over I didn't see anyone… I just saw…" Staz looked as though every word he spoke was a sword to the stomach. "I just saw Rotters, piled up on top of each other, thrashing and pulling at… something. All I could do was watch in horror as they tore into it…" He paused. "I-I figure my brother went down then too." He looked over at the girl who studied his face, her expression absolutely pained. "I can understand how you feel…" He finished.

Kid ran a hand through his hair. So that was it? Soul was gone… Just like that, a friend was killed for no other reason than he simply misplaced his foot and fell; was it really that simple? Was fate really that cruel? Kid cringed again as he heard Maka's soft sobs and Liz's attempts at comforting her. From the sound of it, Staz had kept this news from the girls as well; not even Patty dare speak and interrupt such a thick atmosphere. A random, unrelated thought occurred to him and he looked up at the moon over head, discovering it was now in the early hours of a new day. He counted down the days from which the infection had broken out and shook his head. _She had to hear this toady of all days… _He thought bitterly.

"No…" Maka's small whisper was just barely heard over her sobs. "No." She said again, this time more firm. "I felt a soul. It's him. He's still alive. He has to be, and I'm going to be the one to find him." She said, her tone making it clear that it was not up for discussion.

"Maka, I don't-"

"No, Kid. I'm going and you're _not _stopping me. Don't even try." She said, her voice icy towards the reaper.

"I'm not going to stop you. I'm going with you."

* * *

**Don't kill me… Please don't… I'm not a Soul hater, I swear! I know some KiMa fans are, but I, for one, am not! Just… Things have to happen. Keep this in mind if it means anything, everything happens for a reason.**

**Anyways, on a lighter note, I expect (don't hold me to this) the next chapter to be up soon. And the chapter after _that… _Well, let's just say I'll have a warning for it.**

**Replies~!**

**Checkered Brooke-** Gaaaaah! I dunnooooo! Well… Actually I do… But I no tell you… haha :) you shalt find out… soon-ish enough.

**Art n' Music**- Maybe both? I dunno, she just seems like a match maker XD And good, suspense is good for the soul! (no pun intended) :D

**Mikaela**- Yeah, she doesn't exactly get to deal with the high school gossip anymore, so she settles with what she has :) but that's good for us, because it helps the KiMa relationship move forward! And… Can't say much about the rest of you're review except you, and all my other readers, are far awesomer than I'll ever be! I'd never be able to have the drive to finish this without you guys!

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- It's ok, we all have our moments XD


	18. Chapter 18

**So, I thought this would be out 2 days ago… Sorry, I miscalculated ^^'**

* * *

After making it very clear that they were the only two going on this rescue mission, especially to Robin, the two had packed their bags and began heading towards the direction that Maka had sensed the soul once the sun was up. Unfortunately, neither of them had gotten much sleep. Kid knew this mission was going to be dangerous in more ways than one, and figured the more stealth they had on their side, the better, and stealth naturally came with small numbers. Of course Maka could have been extremely stealthy on her own, but Kid simply refused to let her go out there alone. The direction in which she had sensed the soul was unexplored territory to them, who truly knew what awaited them there? Kid figured they would be gone for a few days, maybe a week at most. The distance of the soul Maka had sensed was easily a day's trip.

Most of the journey was rather quiet, both meisters seemed lost in thought, though it wasn't uncomfortable. They had been walking in unfamiliar terrain for a good 6 hours now and covered about 12 miles. The two could've probably gone a bit faster, but the continuous stop and start due to rotters made it difficult to travel at a constant speed. Luckily they hadn't been swarmed, but the population of the beasts certainly increased the further away they strayed from their camp. About a half mile back they had found a small cave and both agreed it would be perfect place to stay in for the night seeing as the clouds above seemed to get darker and simple tree cover wouldn't suffice such a brutal bombardment of rain, but they weren't about to turn in just yet; it had been around this area Maka had sensed the soul. They carefully stored supplies they wouldn't need immediately in the cave, such as food and clothing, and decided to explore the area, rather than going out any further.

Maka couldn't help but think about what Liz had said to her about Kid. _I see you two being all cute and flirty. _She almost blushed at the thought. _Her_ and _Kid? Flirting? _The thought just seemed sort of ridiculous. Not that she didn't she didn't think he was attractive or anything, he just always seemed so… Reserved; distant from the rest of the group. Say she did have an interest in him in that way, surely that feeling wouldn't be returned. She thought back to the time they spent, just the two of them and Robin. She almost smiled at the thought. The two of them did have some moments didn't they? She felt like she had seen a whole new side to the reserved reaper; but once they had found the Thompson sisters, it almost felt as if he started avoiding her. Did he really confide in her like that just because he had no one else to talk to? That thought didn't feel truthful, but it still stung.

"Is that a… Town?" Kid questioned, bringing Maka back from her internal conversation.

"I knew we had been walking awhile, but I didn't thing we'd gotten that far…" Maka mused, commenting on the rooftops that had just come into view. "Should we go check it out? I bet we could get a lot of helpful supplies…"

"I don't know…" Kid said warily. "You saw how it was in Death City; and I can only guess the Rotter count would be much more dense in higher populated areas..." _Though I really do need to get _something. _Today is special after all… _He thought afterwards. "Ok, here's the plan. We scope out the place, go to the nearest store, grab as much supplies as we could possibly carry," Kid was silently thankful that they had decided against leaving their backpacks in the cave. "And we get out, quick."

Maka nodded in agreement as the damaged town came into view.

* * *

After circling the entire town and discovering it was, in fact infested with the flesh eating beasts, the two meisters were lucky enough to discover a store that seemed to be void of rotters.

"This place is a wreck…" Maka commented, gingerly stepping through a glass door that was completely shattered. The smell that hit them almost immediately was appalling. A combination smell of rancid flesh and smoke wafted through the building, causing their eyes to water.

"Well, now we know why they aren't in here." Kid whispered through a cough. "If we split up, we would be able to get a wider variety supplies. Besides," Kid paused as something that vaguely resembled a package of soiling hamburger meat hit his foot and looked at it with disgust. "I don't think we have to worry too much about the rotters in here…"

"Right. I'll get whatever food I can manage to find," Maka nodded, taking in the damage and scarcity of food products. It was obvious a lot of it had been picked over; someone had been there recently. "You get whatever other supplies we might need. Let's meet back up here in about 10 minutes."

The two both set off in different directions, Kid scrunched up his nose as the odor started to become more offensive. Almost having to hold his nose as he walked down the pharmacy aisles, Kid stuffed his bag with what ever pain killers, bandages and first aid kits were left, which wasn't much. After stuffing a few toiletries (some upon Liz's request) into his bag, he started off to a different section; which was the real reason why he wanted to split up. Smiling in success as he found what he wanted, he stuffed it into his now budging backpack and tried to ignore the lack of symmetry and tidiness; in all honesty, he was proud of himself for keeping his cool in such a chaotic store… He twitched slightly. _Oh great… Now I'm thinking about it.._. Knowing he had a little extra time before he was to meet Maka, he began to browse a little to keep his mind off the mess, maybe even finding some creature comfort items that might put them all in a better mood. Kid tilted his head as he found a small coloring book with crayons attached. _Little kids like this sort of thing, right? _He thought it over and put it in his backpack anyways, perhaps Robin could find some normalcy in it. His eyes wandered towards a small section at the back of the store. The jewelry section. He shrugged and wandered over, eyeing all the cheaply displayed items, loosely acknowledging the new intensity of the smell of rancid flesh. Uninterested in the cheap metals, his eyes stopped when they came to a particular case. It was a simple silver necklace that wrapped around a display hook and finally came together into one smaller chain that detained a dainty, oval emerald. The color of the stone vaguely reminded him of something particularly pleasant, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what. All he knew was that he wanted it. Without thinking, the butt of his knife was already hacking away at the glass that imprisoned the precious stone necklace and before he knew it, he was running his fingers over the smooth silver chain to examine it. Not a single chink. He smirked at the perfection.

That was when he felt something grab his shoulder.

Before he could react, he felt the warm, sour breathe of a rotter run down his arm as it sunk its teeth deep into the flesh of his bicep. Kid swung his good arm that luckily was the one wielding the knife, and embedded it deep into the rotters forehead. It's glazed eyes simply stared at him for a minute before it fell over. Kid was frozen in place. He was bit. Immediately, he took the knife that was buried in the dead Rotter's forehead and held it tight to his own throat, waiting to feel his body overcome by the disease. If he was going to turn, there was no way he was going to endanger Maka. The bite seared his skin, the pain was greater than he had ever felt before, but he kept a tight grip on his knife, nothing was going to make him drop it.

_15 seconds. _

He had outlived most human beings; but then again, he wasn't exactly human. He stayed in the same stance, barely even allowing his lungs breath.

_30 seconds. _

Perhaps he was immune? No, that wasn't particularly possible. His body may not be human, but it was still a body. Possibly it could hold off the effects. After about a minute, the pain dulled down, though it was still sure to make itself known. Kid let out a heavy breath and decided to examine his wound. The rotter had bitten clean through his long sleeved shirt, but it seemed as if only his top teeth broke skin, seeing as it was only one parenthesis shaped mark instead of two. He folded his sleeve in such a way that it didn't look cut, then cut and folded the other sleeve to match. Kid could feel the sweat building on his forehead, but other than fear and the dull, droning pain on his arm, he felt fine. He looked down at the hand on his injured arm to see it was closed in a tight fist; he uncoiled it to reveal shiny silver and green. Placing the necklace in his pocket, he looked up as a loud thud came from somewhere beyond the jewelry counter.

Dozens upon dozens of thrashing bodies seemed to pour in from a back room, all their eyes set on Kid, who turned tail and sprinted for the grocery section. They most've heard the commotion. Just before reaching his destination, Kid's feet flew out from under him as he slid over a piece of glass, causing him to bite his lip. Hard. Kid was a frenzy of arms and legs as he willed his body vertical again, ignoring the vicious cuts he was receiving on his hands from the shards of glass scattered below. The moans and groans behind him were worse than a ticking clock as he clumsily, but finally, made it to his feet. Maka came running down an aisle in front of him, obviously alert to the new abundance of sound. Only pausing long enough for her eyes to widen at the scene before her and ensure Kid would follow, she turned and ran toward the exit and out the door; Kid silently thanked whoever was watching out for them as they both made it safely out of that accursed store. But they didn't stop running. Kid vaguely appreciated the small raindrops that occasionally hit his bruised face, but mostly tried to keep his mind focused on following Maka. She was pretty fast when she really needed to be. The two meisters didn't stop or slow down once until the reached the cave; and once they were in the safety of their makeshift home, the sky opened up into a complete down pour. Neither of them said a word, but simply looked at each other, both panting, and started laughing uncontrollably, thinking the exact same thing the other was.

At least Mother Nature had spared them of getting rained on.

* * *

**Oooooooh crap. Kids bit. Again, sorry for promising a quick update then letting two days pass! I honestly thought it wouldn't take me that long to write chapter 19, but its turning into an absolute MONSTER. I'm only halfway through it and it's about as long as my average chapter pushing at 2,300 words; So expect next chapter to be much longer.**

**As an apology for saying something and not following through, here is a small sneak peak to chapter 19:**

_Things calmed down quite considerably. Thankfully they were able to find enough wood that was dry enough to start and continue a decent fire. It was rather nice, actually, though the rain continued to drone on outside, the fire had warmed the cave quite nicely, leave the two more comfortable, temperature wise, than they had been in awhile. _

_ Kid looked over at Maka who was hugging her knees tightly to her chest, forlornly looking into the pits of the campfire. He sighed inwardly, every since they had gotten back she had been like this, distant and unresponsive. This whole ordeal was tough for him to manage, but she had experience everything he had along with the possible confirmed death of her weapon partner… Best friend… Maybe more? Kid shook his head of the thought; it made him… Uneasy for some reason. If anything good were to come out of this silence, it was that Kid was able to think more thoroughly about his injury when his mind didn't wander to the small, fragile looking blonde across from him. _

**Yes, I said small and meant it ^^ Also, If you want to see what that necklace looks like, Ill send you a link through private messaging, just let me know.**

**Replies~!**

**Checkered Brooke-** Oh, but cliffhangers make the world go round! They keep things… Interesting :D Ooooh nice ones! I like the way you think my friend! All very real possibilities :3 Stay tuned!

**PsychopathicXangel**- Not much KiMa in this one… But expect some in chapter 19 for sure!

**Awesomex**- Why, thank you! I find you feel more engrossed in a story when you have an author who knows appropriate punctuation; it just makes the overall experience of reading more enjoyable! Though I do admit I slip up in spelling and even punctuation at times, I try to re-read and fix as much as I can!

**Mikaela**- Oh, don't get me wrong, I love Soul. He's actually my third favorite character behind Kidd and Maka; but I will say, things have to happen for other things to happen. And yeah, I can totally see Maka losing it.

**Carifoo2001**- I'm sorry for updating so much? o.o and yes, I know how to spell thief, I must've just missed it once because I looked back and saw that it was normally spelt correctly and only misspelled once, thanks for letting me know, though. And as for the Liz suggestion; I'll take it into consideration, though I think I have an idea for her…

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX**- Thanks! I hope it makes up for lack of cuteness in this chapter ^^'

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- oooooh, I do like llamas :3 It's all The Emperor's New Groove's fault…


	19. Chapter 19

**Alright, now here is the chapter I said there would be a warning about. Now I, personally, don't think it is that bad, and I believe if you were able to watch Soul Eater with all of its… suggestive themes, then you're A-ok, and I promise this will not go above a teen rating. But I have also seen people put warnings for less stuff than this, so I feel obligated.**

**I planned on having this chapter out later, which is why I had the preview on the last chapter, but I decided it give it to you guys early.**

**So… there's the warning and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Things calmed down quite considerably. Thankfully they were able to find enough wood that was dry enough to start and continue a decent fire. It was rather nice, actually, though the rain continued to drone on outside, the fire had warmed the cave quite nicely, leave the two more comfortable, temperature wise, than they had been in awhile.

Kid looked over at Maka who was hugging her knees tightly to her chest, forlornly looking into the pits of the campfire. He sighed inwardly, every since they had gotten back she had been like this, distant and unresponsive. This whole ordeal was tough for him to manage, but she had experienced everything he had along with the possible confirmed death of her weapon partner… Best friend… Maybe more? Kid shook his head of the thought; it made him… Uneasy for some reason. If anything good were to come out of this silence, it was that Kid was able to think more thoroughly about his injury when his mind didn't wander to the small, fragile looking blonde across from him.

He figured it was only logical he didn't change, his reaper body was far different from any humans'. After sneaking a few glances at the wound, careful not to alert the seemingly comatose Maka, he discovered an eerie purple tinge around the bite that had, thankfully, stopped bleeding. Checking it every hour, he found the purple seemed to be spreading, but very slowly. Though he deduced it was highly unlikely he would turn into one of those flesh eating beasts, Kid was certain the bite would be the death of him. The purple was probably the 'virus' or whatever caused the mindless state, but it didn't really seem to be going past just under the skin, though once it reached his heart or brain, it was sure to do irrevocable damage. At the pace it was going now, he figured he _might _have two days left to live, if that; and if the infection didn't start spreading fast, which was a possibility that was all too real. He wouldn't dare tell Maka now…

He looked over at the girl who was still in her same feeble position. Kid used all of his concentration to focus in on her soul, almost gasping at the sight. It wasn't that her soul was being over run by madness, but it already seemed… Dead. He knew her spirit had been completely beaten down, her pride torn to shreds. The reaper looked over to his bag, wondering if he should bring up the gift… Well, now would be as good as any time… it just felt so lame… He sighed and shuffled over to his bag and shielded it from Maka's view as he pulled something out and took the necklace from his pocket, draping it around the mystery present. He sighed once more as he glanced back over at the girl, who seemed completely oblivious to his actions. _How should I begin?... _

"So… Um… I got you… This things… And I uh…" He stuttered awkwardly as Maka lazily looked over at the sound of his voice, only for her eyes to widen slightly in curiosity. In his hands, Kid help a medium-sized, fluffy stuffed panda bear and what looked like something shiny around its neck. Kid looked at the blonde, but his eyes immediately shifted to something else uneasily and a light blush formed on his face as he continued. "I counted down the days from… You know… The Rotters… AndIrealizeditwasyourbirthdaysoIgotthisforyou…" He had sat down next to her, deciding to stare intently at the bear, all the while his fingers drumming restlessly in its fur.

Her eyes went wide as she pondered the thought. "My birthday…" She whispered, though Kid didn't seem to hear. That's right… It _was _in fact her birthday; even she had forgotten all about it.

"I know… It's kinda stupid, and dumb… But I just remember you telling me about that stuffed cat you got from Spirit, and I know it's no cat… It's… well, a bear… And I'm not Spirit…"

_He actually _remembered _that? _She thought in awe; sure the stuffed animal had been extremely important to her, but she didn't even think he was listening to her when she talked about it, much less intend to _replace _it. Kid continued his stumbling rant.

"I thought you would like it… Sorry it's not much... I just wanted to do s-" He was cut off by a massive force that had just knocked him over from his seated position; and moments later did he find that this massive force was Maka's embrace. Though stunned at first, finally Kid sat up and returned Maka's hug, only to realize he still had a plush bear tight in his grip.

After pulling away somewhat awkwardly from the hug, Maka looked up at Kid, slightly embarrassed, though he was glad to see a small smile playing at her lips. "Uhm… Yeah. So, here you go, and Happy Birthday." He gently handed her the panda to which she took gratefully; he could almost feel her soul slowly lighting up again.

"You're kind of awesome, you know that?" She question, taking the bear, but keeping her eyes on its presenter.

"Not really…" He chuckled lightly, trying to avoid her bright green stare. So that's what the necklace had reminded him of… "It's just… I mean it's simple, really. It's-"

"Perfect." She smiled, looking down at her plush toy. There was an awkward silence before she spoke up again. "Well, I guess we should take inventory of what we got?" She asked as if they had just returned to the cave moments before.

"Right." Kid nodded, thankful for the break in silence. Not particularly feeling like pulling items out one by one, Kid unzipped his backpack and simply dumped everything out when he herd a loud metallic clank as some foreign item toppled out of his bag. Kid, assuming everything that had been in his backpack was either plastic or cloth, went to retrieve said item and a large grin appeared on his face. Maka, having heard the loud crash, turned to see Kid holding what appeared to be a small portable radio. "I completely forgot I packed this…" He said, almost laughing as she turned around.

"A radio?" The scythe meister questioned, looking up from her own backpack.

"Not _just _a radio. It's a soul radio." She crawled over to the reaper to get a better look at the plain looking object, all interest of inventorying supplies lost.

"What's a soul radio?" She question, watching as he turned a few dials, resulting in a quiet white noise emitting from the speakers.

"Well, it plays songs-"

"No shit." Maka laughed, ignoring Kid's playful glare at the language.

"It senses the mood of souls around it and plays songs accordingly; It's pretty entertaining, actually. Would've been really helpful to lighten moods if I had remembered it sooner… But what I find really intriguing is, when really concentrated, you can change the song."

"It just sounds like static to me…" Maka said, tilting her head. Kid frowned a bit and closed his eyes, shutting them tight. The scythe meister began to hear the small voice of a clarinet fight it's way through the white noise; it was soon joined by another instrument, though Maka couldn't quite put her finger on what. Finally, just as it sounded as if the two instruments had accepted their fate of being drown out by the radio's static, a firm, loud set of horns blared through the speakers, obliterating any unnatural radio like sounds. The quality was amazing, it truly felt as if the symphony was sitting right next to her. She looked over at Kid in amazement to find he was no longer concentrating, but grinning at the bewildered expression sure to be plastered on her face.

"Cool, right?" Kid asked with a smug smirk.

She nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Where did you get something like that?"

"Well, being the son of Death has its perks." He shrugged. The blonde simply nodded and played idly with the fur on her bear until her fingers ran across something that wasn't soft and fluffy. She looked down and gasped at the sight of the silver and green necklace that was almost hidden in fur. "Kid…" He looked up at the sound of his name then blushed slightly as he watched the green eyed girl gawk at the piece of jewelry she had removed from the bear, its stone very much resembling her irises. "I-It's beautiful…" She unhooking it and draped it around her neck. "Um.. Do you mind…?" She trailed off; knowing Kid understood her request, seeing as his hands were already moving to fasten the clasp. Once fastened, she turned to face Kid all the while looking down at her new treasure. "H-How does it look?" She asked, turning her eyes to Kid. Neither of them had noticed when the instrumental song had died down, being replaced by a new song, but this time with lyrics.

_Hey Jude, _

_Don't make it bad. _

_Take a sad song,_

_And make it better. _

All he could manage was an involuntary goofy smile as he took in the sight. She was absolutely beautiful, her green eyes shining brightly and looking at him expectantly, a perfect glow from the fire framing her face, her eyebrows raised lightly as a small innocent smile tugged at her lips… Oh wait, she meant her necklace… "'s beautiful…" He said in the only voice he could muster, causing her to blush. Damn, had he fallen hard; to bad he only realized it after… His mind wandered to the bite on his arm and he took his eyes off the girl when he realized he was staring.

_Hey Jude, _

_Don't be afraid. _

_You were made to, _

_Go out and get her. _

His eyebrows rose slightly as he looked over to Maka and found her mouthing the words to the song now playing. Before he even knew what he was doing, Kid was on his feet extending a hand towards the blonde who was looking just as surprised as he felt. She tilted her head, an eyebrow raised. "You wanna dance?" He asked, the question being the only thing that came to mind. "It helps the soul… It helps keep the madness from…" He was cut off by giggling, causing the reaper to smile in embarrassment. "What?"

"I know dancing helps the soul, I was in that lesson, too." She said, still giggling. "But sure, I'll dance with you, Kid." Taking his hand, she let herself be pulled up to his level. Keeping their hands clasped, Maka placed a hand on the reapers shoulder, and in return he hesitantly placed a hand on her tiny waist. He looked at her, his face instantly heating as he realized their closeness, and they both swayed slightly to the beat.

_For well you know that _

_It's a fool _

_Who plays it cool._

After becoming slightly more comfortable with their current position, Kid began taking wider steps which, surprisingly, Maka was able to follow. "Wow, you're pretty good." She commented, smiling up at the smirking reaper.

"I was actually about to say the same to you. Though I may have not chased bugs in my childhood, father did sign me up for… uh… Dance lessons." He blushed slightly, "For formal occasions and such." He tacked on.

Maka giggled slightly. "I was in dance classes, too. I actually really love to dance; It's just Soul never wanted to… And I didn't know who else to ask… So I usually just watched everyone else." She shrugged as much as she could.

"Well, In that case." Kid grinned and as if it were arranged, the music became increasingly louder as he began to twist and turn, Maka easily able to keep up with every movement.

_Na, na na,_

_Na na na naa, _

_Na na na naa, _

_Hey Jude. _

Both were laughing and giggling as they moved around the cave to the beat of the song, avoiding random objects that had been skewed around and even kicking a small can like object to the back of the cave on accident. Neither of them had had this much fun since the disease broke out; not when they shared laughs by the campfire, not when they had pulled pranks on Robin and not even when Kid attempted to skip rocks. Kid wouldn't trade this moment for anything, and if the smile on Maka's face was anything to go by, she wouldn't either. As the song began to fade, they slowed; returning to their shuffling back and forth, but soon after another song came to follow. They both stopped moving for a second to adjust to the pace of the song and Maka only had to hear the familiar energetic piano melody for a smile to grace her lips. "I love this song!" She said half to herself.

Kid gave her a devious smile before willing the music louder and starting to dance again, this time, much faster, causing her to stumble at first; but it was ok. He was there to catch her. Recovering quickly, she caught up with the pace, following any quick twist and turn he threw at her; neither of them could keep their eyes off each other, both of them laughing out of pure joy.

_Lights go out and I can't be saved._

_Tides that I've tried to swim against; you've_

_Put me down upon me knees, _

_Oh I beg, I beg and plead._

With one last smug smirk, without warning, Kid took them outside the cave and into the pouring rain. Maka gasped at first from the sudden chill, but got over it quickly and was over run by gleeful giggling. Childish smiles played on the lips of both meisters. She had to admit, this was the most fun she had had in… Well, awhile; maybe even ever. She had never seen this side of Kid; she wasn't sure if anyone ever had. Maka decided nothing would make her happier than just to live in this simple moment; dancing in the rain, Kid at her side. Though they were moving quickly, she leaned into his touch, not caring about the chill of the rain but rather enjoying it's cold spray.

_Come out upon my seas,_

_Cursed missed opportunities _

_Am I _

_A part of the cure? _

_Or am I part of the disease? _

Maka's giggle became louder as she moved her hand down to his waist and changed their hand position, giving her the lead. Kid raised an eyebrow, but went along with it, letting out a light hearted snicker and moved his hand from her waist to her shoulder. She lead them through more twists and turns, just as Kid had and even made his spin, causing him to roll his eyes playfully seeing as he had to duck significantly just for her to bring their arms over the top of his head.

_You are_

_You are_

_Home, home. _

_Where I wanted to go._

Still laughing in delight, they both walked into the cave, shivering involuntarily no recognizing the chill. The music eventually died down, returning to quiet white noise, and the two meisters moved over to the fire, greedily taking in it's warmth. Kid couldn't help but smile as he glanced over at the girl grinning next to him. It was amazing how such simple things could turn around someone's mood. The reaper sighed inwardly as her eyes looked up into his. He willed his eyes to tell her how he truly felt for her, for them to tell her how beautiful she was, but somehow it was lost in translation seeing as she quickly looked away and into the flickering tongues of the fire. He followed her gaze, his mind having an internal battle with itself. _Tell her? Don't tell her?_ He rolled his eyes. Was he really worrying about stereotypical teenage problems when they were in a damn zombie apocalypse? Fuck it. He was going to tell her. When he looked back over he froze. _Dammit! _He grit his teeth. _So asymmetrical…! _He was already moving forward, closer to her and fixing her hair before she looked up at him and realized what was going on. It was a simple fix, really, but even after the small strand of hair had been dealt with, he found that he simply couldn't move back away from her. They were so close…

Maka, unsuccessfully trying to hide a light blush, rolled her eyes at the familiar scene. "Asymmetrical?" She questioned quietly, but tilted her head as he stilled, his eyes showing he was somewhere else; perhaps deep in thought. He finally shook his head slowly in a delayed response and leaned forward until their lips finally met. The blonde froze at first, but returned the kiss, finding that she didn't mind it. This was what she had really wanted, right? Somewhere deep down she knew she harbored a certain soft spot for the courteous death god, before Liz had even brought up the possibility of it being intimate, she had never really known what it was… And she had been denying the possibility ever since.

Kid jerked his head back, eyes wide. Did he really just do that?! "M-Maka, I'm so sorry! That wasn't fair! I'm such filth. Garbage even…" He scolded himself, forbidding his eyes to even look at the girl again.

Maka smiled, "no, it's ok…" She managed, looking over at the self-loathing reaper.

"It's not ok! I'm such a horrible person… Deserve to die…"

"No really-"

"I'm a horrible excuse for a per-" Kid was cut off by a pair of soft lips that crashed into his. This kiss was less than enjoyable however, seeing as Kid's teeth had almost bit down on her lip; he wasn't expecting the sudden obstruction on his mouth. But all in all, it served its purpose as a way to shut Kid up.

"Kid, It's ok. Really. More than ok…" Maka smirked, drawing back only far enough for her lips to ghost his, then went for another kiss and to this one, Kid obliged.

Maka smiled as she felt hesitant arms wrap around her waist and slowly pull her closer and closer. One kiss turned into two, which turned into many; each slightly more heated than the other. The blonde meister suppressed a giggle as Kid's lips left hers and began kissing down one side of her jaw, then the other; a kiss on the right side for every one on the left. Kid vaguely noted that the soul radio had turned on once more, though the song that graced the speakers seemed fuzzy and quiet as it fought through the static.

_She knows what I think about, _

_And what I think about:_

_One love, two mouths, _

_One love, one house. _

_No Shirt, no blouse. _

_Just us, you find out _

Once his lips met her's again, the kiss was noticeably more passionate. Maka's hands entangled themselves in Kid's hair as his arms simply tightened around her waist, drawing her all the more closer.

Neither of them had noticed when it happened, but at some point Maka, now on the ground, had unfastened the buttons of Kid's shirt, who now loomed above her. Kid couldn't help but blush at the sudden exposure of skin and looked down at Maka, his face heating even more. He could easily make out the dark black fabric of her bra underneath the soaked and now see-through pale pink button-up shirt she was wearing.

_These hearts adore, _

_Everyone the other beats hardest for. _

_Inside this place it's warm. _

_Outside it starts to pour. _

He could feel his pulse grow faster as his hands reached for the buttons on her shirt to return the favor she had done for him, but he froze. _Surely this heart rate can't be good for… _Grudgingly his mind came back to reality. Maka looked at him, her eyes curious.

_What am I _doing? Kid thought, scolding himself shamefully at his less than pure intentions. _We can't do this! We're only 17! Besides… _He got off of the blonde and watched as she sat up, giving him a curious look. _Who knows how this virus is transmitted… _He blushed at the thought, but tried to give Maka a reassuring smile.

"I guess we kind of… Got carried away…" She blushed, but smiled at his words.

"I guess so…" She giggled, her eyes not meeting his.

* * *

**Well **_**that **_**escalated quickly. This chapter has basically been screaming at me ever since I started writing this. The dancing part was very much inspired by the scene of Harry and Hermione dancing in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows pt. 1; just giving credit where credit is due, though the rain and what followed the dancing was my little twist. I really wanted to use the song O' Children by Nick Cave, but decided against it. **

**Because this chapter was becoming a monster, I decided to cut it in half. It really bothers me to have one chapter longer than all the rest. I'm not going to post replies for chapter 18 on here because I JUST posted it and expect a few more reviews, so replies from chapter 18 **_**and**_** 19 will be on my next update. Hope this makes up for the lack of KiMa in previous chapters! **

**Oh, and if your wondering, the songs in order as appeared are:**

**Rhapsody in Blue- Gershwin (that instrumental song that was first heard) **

**Hey Jude- The Beatles **

**Clocks- Coldplay **

**Sweater Weather- The Neighborhood **


	20. Chapter 20

**Congrats to Hawkllama for being the 88th review! Kidd would be proud of such perfect symmetry. **

* * *

After an awkward silence, both meisters changed into dry clothes and sat by the fire. Maka sat with her arms crossed around her legs and propped her head on the plush panda whose head was just barely visible above her knees as Kid poked at the fire, adding a final log to it for the night. It was only a matter of minutes before random thoughts of life before had popped into his head. He thought of how things would've stayed the same if the outbreak didn't happen, and how he never would've even looked at the beautiful bookworm twice as something other than a friend, if that. He frowned a bit as a certain memory protruded his thoughts. "Hey, Maka?"

"Hmm?" She hummed, looking up at the boy next to her.

"Did I ever say I was sorry?"

"For…?"

"The time I called you a control freak…" Kid said, his gaze becoming suddenly interested on his empty hands. "That was… Very uncalled for, and I apologize…"

Maka winced at the memory just before the outbreak, remembering Kid had a similar reaction to her harsh words as well. "No, I asked for it, and I should be the one who is sorry…" She blushed slightly, "As a matter of fact…" She let her vivid green eyes wander over to the reaper. He couldn't help but smile. The way the fire reflected off the bright emerald orbs seemed to capture her personality to the finest detail; unreasonably beautiful in every way, yet feisty and not to be underestimated. "I think your symmetry fits can be kind of… Cute sometimes." The words made the reaper blush a bright red.

"Now I wouldn't go as far as saying they're cute…" He mumbled for lack of a better response. "Bothersome. Irksome. Annoying, even; but cute?"

"Sure, why not?" The blonde giggled for the umpteenth time that night, scooting over to the young reaper, close enough that their shoulders touched; not that they were so far from each other to begin with. There was a small, comfortable silence before she spoke again. "Thanks, Kid." She murmured, laying a head on his shoulder.

"For what?" Hesitating at first, Kid reached an arm around the girl, luckily she was on his uninjured side, but when she leaned into the touch, her relaxed a bit and held her close.

_They grew up in the same old town,_

_Never knowing the other was around. _

_Read from the same damn books;_

_But never caught each other's looks. _

"Everything. Finding me, helping me with my ankle, cheering me up, believing in me, being there for me, giving me somewhere to put my trust… Just, everything. I hardly deserve it for the way I treated you at first…" She sighed, tiredness dripping in her tone.

"You've done just the same for me, and I don't even mean when all this happened. It wasn't even just me; you've helped the rest of the gang as well. In battles before, you've cheered _us _up. You've believed in _us. _You've been there for _us. _You've done so much; I can hardly hope to ever repay you. You deserve every ounce of thankfulness in my body and then some. Don't ever tell yourself otherwise."

"You give me too much credit." Maka replied, though he could hear a smile in her voice. She inhaled deeply, thoroughly enjoying the camp fire smell that entangled itself within Kid's hair and the fabric of his shirt.

"I don't think so." He chuckled, leaning his head on hers. "Hey Maka?"

"Mmm?" She hummed, obviously starting to drift off.

"I know it's kind of late, but would it mean anything to you if I said I had a _thing_ for you?" He asked, praying to death he had used Liz's terminology in the right context.

Kid felt her snicker lightly. "So Liz got to you too, hmm?" She whispered, her voice almost a purr.

"Yeah." He said airily. "I guess she did…" Not long after, her breathing slowed as she slipped further and further into sleep. Kid propped his back up against the cave walls and closed his eyes as well.

He smiled, thinking this night couldn't have gone better, but as if to prove him wrong, his arm felt as if someone had taken a hot iron to it. He bit his tongue and clenched his fists to keep his mind off the pain emanating from his bicep; doing everything he could not to wake Maka. Fortunately, a minute later the pain dulled significantly and he let his body relax. With these spurts of pain as random as they were, Kid couldn't tell if they were a good thing or a bad thing; but more importantly, he was becoming skeptical of the amount of time he had left.

_Rush together to find each other,_

_No, it's too late;_

_You can never wait on luck. _

* * *

Rolls of thunder shook the cave walls and the rocks that dwelled inside. Maka's eyes shot open as she woke with a gasp. The bombardment of thunder was louder than she had ever heard, causing her to shake and force her eyes shut. _It's ok. It's just stupid thunder. You _know _you're not usually afraid of storms, what's so different now? _The blonde silently scold herself for being afraid of something so childish as thunder, but her mental rebuke was cut short by another crash followed by a bright flash. She finally opened her eyes and sighed, knowing she wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon.

She attempted to sit up, but found she was being restrained by pale slender arms, much like she had been on that one cold night back at camp. She smiled at the sweet gesture and gently untangled his arms from each other to free herself. She stood up fully and rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms to try and gain the warmth she had just lost. The fire was low, so she decided to grab a log from the pile and add it to the slowly extinguishing ashes. She also added a few leaves to help it rekindle and once they caught, a bright blaze lit up Kids sleeping form. The scythe meister bit her lower lip to suppress a giggle.

The usually serious and reserved death god simply looked so peaceful; she could have easily described him as an angel; an angel of death, of course. He seemed so still when he slept, and the way his lips ever so slightly… Maka squinted her eyes as she barely made out a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips, down his cheek and to a small, steadily growing, puddle on the ground… And now that she looked closer, she couldn't see the light rise and fall of his chest…

Maka's breath caught in her throat and she froze, recognizing the scene. _My dream… _She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she gained control over her body. Almost tripping over her own feet in the process, Maka shuffled over to his side, rolling his body over so he was lying on his back. She watched him for a moment; hoping, waiting, for him to take a breath. For him to inhale. Exhale. _Something. _But it never came. "K-K-Kid…? She said, her voice hardly working. She reached her hands out, brushing black locks from his motionless face; it was almost cruel how serene his face looked despite the steadily flowing blood. "Kid!" She said louder, finding her voice. No, this wasn't happening, it couldn't. Dreams weren't real! She threw her hands to his shoulder, shaking him viciously, ignoring the tears that began to make trails down her face.

Maka let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she felt his body stiffen then, finally, he inhaled a breath. The blond threw her arms around the stirring reaper in complete hysteria.

"Mmm… M-Maka?" He said, his voice filled with sleep as he inhaled deeply. Taking in her hysteric state, he wrapped his arms around her small trembling frame. "What's wrong?"

"I-I woke u-up... You were bleeding… And you weren't breathing.." She shivered through sobs, unsure of what she would do in the event that he really had left her for good.

When he didn't seem alarmed, she backed up enough so that she could see his face, an amused expression gracing his features. "A Shinigami's breath stops when he sleeps."

Maka frowned a bit, wiping tears from her cheeks and eyes. "What about the blood?"

"Blood…?" He asked, bringing a hand to his lip that he just realized had been stinging. He pulled it back and examined the shiny red liquid with a small laugh. "I bit my lip when I fell at the store. It must've re-opened when…" He laughed even harder at the look on her face, which earned him a playful hit on the arm. His bit arm.

Kid face contorted in pain as his good hand grasped at the wound. Wrong move. Kid hissed in further pain as Maka looked at him, eyes wide and afraid. She knew the shinigami had a high tolerance for pain, and his reaper body only strengthen that quality. Whatever it was that made him react in such a way couldn't be good news. "Kid…" She asked, her tone absolutely serious. "What's wrong with your arm?"

* * *

**Name of the song: Rush Together by Quietdrive **

** Alright, so I'm holding a contest. A drawing contest. Basically what you have to do is draw a scene from Beyond Help. It doesn't **_**have **_**to be a KiMa moment, just any scene. The contest will be over the day I post the last chapter of Beyond Help (which won't be soon, you've probably go like a month. But early entries are VERY much appreciated.) In order to judge this contest I must have AT LEAST 5 entries. As for prizes, the first place winner either gets to create a reoccurring character (meaning it won't just show up once and be gone forever) for my next Soul Eater/ Harry Potter crossover fic. Second place winner get to create a character that will appear in my next KiMa oneshot. All entries will get honorable mentions. To enter, simply send me a link to wherever your picture is posted **_**or **_**message me and I will give you an email to send it to if it's not posted online anywhere. Good luck to all!**

**Now, for the monster Replies~! **

**Reviews from 18:**

**88EvilnBored88**- I know how you feel TT-TT

**Checkered Brooke-** Sorta immune? I dunno. And as for the symptoms, he seems to only have the change in appetite; he now craves human flesh… Haha just kidding! It was the first thought that popped up in this weird twisted brain I have.

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX**- Yeah, I'm generally really whiny about things so you guys will probably know when I have writers block XD hopefully I won't have it with this particular fic though because I've basically got the rest of it mapped out pretty good.

**(88th review!) Hawkllama**- They do need tanks! It would simply make life so much easier! Then they could hide under them… (The Walking Dead reference…)

**PyschopathicXangel**- He's not really dead I don't think… But I'm still not convinced he's immortal either, because when he was fighting Free he said he didn't like those who are immortal because it was like cheating… Though he might be, I could be wrong here.

**Mikaela**- Don't fall out of the seat~! The new chapter was up quick! Haha.

**Reviews for 19:**

**Courage-Earthworm'8**- I'm sorry, he's not really immune :( and I knoooow. The feels hit pretty hard in this one didn't they?

**Art n' Music**- I know right? Cute, but not entirely overdone. And thanks! I'll try!

**Checkered** **Brooke**- Yeah, it was a pretty bittersweet moment, even to write.

**Deaththekids** **sis**- Cool! I'm glad you think so :)

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr**- I think I'll let Kidd respond to this one… Kidd: "Alright… I'll try not to… But if I do, sorry for your inconvenience..?"

**Mikaela**- Yeah, I know, there's just something about a guy giving a girl a teddy bear that just seems so adorable to me. Thank you so much for the compliments, I think at this rate I'll have an ego to match Blackstar's ^^' But really, thank you for such a kind review, it really made my day :)


	21. Chapter 21

"It happened when I fell." He said through grit teeth as he balled his fist. "Fell in some glass-" Before he could finish, the scythe meister was already ripping and tearing at his shirt, not believing a word he spoke.

"Bullshit…" She muttered, somewhat thankful that he wasn't trying to stop her. He sighed, knowing this would be inevitable. She was going to find out, weather it be like this or when she stood over his dead body. He went still and let the girl disrobe him. Once the reaper's wound was fully revealed, Maka froze, just staring at it, her eyes holding no emotion as she took in the unmistakable marks of individual teeth. "That's not a glass cut…You're bit…" She said, though Kid didn't even see her mouth move. He chewed on his bottom lip, ignoring the distinct metallic taste that infiltrated his mouth. Maka backed up a little bit, just enough to not be sitting in his lap. "You're bit… And you didn't tell me?" Her voice was so distant Kid wouldn't have been able to tell it was her if she wasn't sitting right in front of him. "S-So…"Her voice shook. "You're immune I guess. Well that's good I guess, but I don't see why you didn't tell… me…" She trailed off as she noticed Kid's glowing eyes weren't meeting hers. "You are immune, aren't you? I mean… You're, well, _you…" _

"My theory is that it's not affecting me right now because it's only in my arm, an extremity." Kid started and was interrupted by a nice, loud crack of thunder. He paused and looked out side the cave and watched the lightning strike. _This will be the last thunderstorm I ever watch… _He thought bitterly, marveling at the beautiful bolt that raced across the sky then left in an instant. Kid had never really thought much about it, but he really did enjoy thunderstorms; they just brought some sort of mood that a sunny day could never hope to offer. He would really miss it. "But I've noticed that it's been spreading…" He looked over at his arm, letting his fingers ghost over the dark purple pattern snaking up the rest of his arm that resembled a Lichtenberg figure scar (1), he silently laughed at the irony. "I have a suspicion that once it hits my heart…"

"How did it happen?"

"I was breaking into a glass case, there must've been some in the back room, once they heard me they started to swarm." Kid muttered, not meeting the meister's clouded green eyes.

Maka continued to stare at the reaper blankly. "How long…?"

Kid shook his head. "I'm really not sure… Sometimes it will spread quickly, sometimes it stops altogether."

"Guess." She pressed.

"Two days… Maybe." He said, just above a whisper. There was something about saying it out loud that made everything seem so final. That was it. By the end of the week, he would be dead. Death The Kid would no longer be; only his memory would be living.

Maka frowned slightly, the only expression her face held. Silently, she moved closer to Kid, being mindful of his bite, and leaned into his chest as she climbed in his lap again. He heard, and felt, her swallow before she spoke again. "Don't leave me." Her voice was thick and it felt as if someone had poured white hot acid down her throat. She curled in on herself, but stayed on the dying death god's lap. "Kid, don't leave me…" She pleaded.

Kid winced at the pang of guilt that tore at his soul. He wrapped his arms around Maka and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm so sorry, Maka." He murmured, feeling a tear roll down his own cheek.

* * *

Neither got much sleep after that, but once the sun rose, they began packing their things. Kid didn't want Maka to be that far away from camp alone if the disease decided it would take him sooner than perceived. Maka was back to her distant self again, but this time it was worse, and Kid could only guess why. First Soul is gone and more than likely dead, and now Kid was sentenced to a certain death as well? She was going through what Hell called Hell.

They ate a small breakfast of cereal Maka had managed to find back at the store and headed out for an early start. Luckily the rain had let up just before the sun rose, meaning their scent would easily be masked from near by rotters, but that didn't make the long walk back anymore enjoyable. After around three hours of silent travel, they came in contact with their first Rotter. Unfortunately the sharp snap of a twig alerted it before the pair were able to dispose of it, but either way Kid was more than ready for it and it was headed straight for him. He tightened his grip on his blade ready to swing; it was going to be nice to have some sort of vengeance against these bastards.

Just as it came within five feet of his machete, Maka beheaded it and stuck her knife through its eye socket. With a sickening suction noise she reclaimed her blade from the de-bodied head and sent Kid an icy look, but just for a second, then she turned away, leaving Kid mumbling something along the lines of "I could've gotten it…"

Upon returning to camp the two meisters were greeted with hope-filled smiling faces that soon turned to uneasy frowns as they took in the unsettling aura of Maka and Kid. "No Soul?" Liz face fell as Maka shook her head distantly though she had almost expected this negative reply. Patty and Robin seemed indifferent to their return and favored a pile of dirt that vaguely resembled a sand castle; Staz was seen, yet again, off on his own prepping a fish, though he seemed quite content. Maka looked at Kid with slightly narrowed eyes, as if daring him to not bring up the bite mark on his arm.

With a sigh, Kid cleared his throat, gaining the attention, or at least half of it from Robin and Patty, of everyone in the clearing. "Patty, could you take Robin down by the stream for a little while?" He asked, not wanting to panic the young boy.

Patty stood up with a wide grin on her face and a salute to her forehead. "Okie Dokie!" She chirped, taking Robin by the wrist and dragging him off towards the streams despite his loud and violent protests.

Liz cast an uneasy glance from her meister to the two now disappearing into the trees; then turned her gaze to Maka's face, that had turned from an expression of irritation to one of complete hopelessness in a matter of minutes. She knew something was up, and apparently so did Staz, seeing as he completely abandoned his fish to move in closer to the rest of the group, leaving Thief to feast gluttonously upon the discarded catfish.

"Kids bit." Maka said, almost spitting the words. "We found a town and decided to go into one of the grocery stores that we thought to be abandoned… Well, it wasn't." Both Liz and Staz whipped their heads towards the death god as if they were expecting him to change at any moment, but when he didn't they looked back and forth between the two, unsure of who to look for to get an explanation on why he was still alive; the motion of their heads would've been quite comical if it wasn't for the serious situation. "

Finally, Staz spoke. "So you're immune? Well that's good to know…" He nodded, though something in his voice made it seem that he knew this wasn't the case.

"Not exactly." Kid muttered, avoiding Liz, knowing all too well that she was about to start crying. He couldn't stand seeing girls cry, especially not one as close to him as his weapon partners, and now Maka for that matter… "I'm pretty certain I won't change, though I'm sure I won't make it through…" He trailed off, again not wanting to state his fate aloud, but what he had said was more that enough to explain. Liz took in a sharp breath and threw her arms around her dying meister. Kid ignored the pain as she brushed up against his bite and wrapped his arms around his sobbing weapon, patting her back comfortingly.

"Is that all?!" A familiar squeaky voice screech as its owner, Robin, emerged from the bushes, a giggling Patty in tow. "Are you kidding me?!" He yelled again in disbelief.

Kid looked at the small boy, absolutely appalled. "W-what do you mean is that it?!" He said, astounded at the child's insensitivity. "I'm going to _die." _He seethed, not really caring if he said it while trying to prove a point. After all he had done for this kid! This ungrateful little brat simply didn't care if he keeled over any second?

Robin made sure Kid could see his eyes roll and stated something that he believed should've been obvious. "You're not going to _die_."

* * *

**Lichtenberg figure scars are the scars people get when they are struck by lightning. In my opinion, they actually look pretty cool, you can Google image Lichtenberg figure scars and see a few examples. Those in a dark purple are basically what Kidd's arm looks like around the bite. **

**Also, little reminder about the contest, I've already gotten one entry, and its freakin' awesome! I'm hoping to see more soon! **

**Replies~! **

**Checkered Brooke-** Yes, that was a bit of my light humor. It's just fun to throw in there the little quirks about a reaper's body like glowing eyes (and other body parts according to the manga) and no breathing while sleeping. I was going to add something like since he's only technically half reaper he only needs to breathe half the time; and lord death doesn't breathe. But that seemed too wordy.

**Jeagar's Paradise-** Man, wouldn't it suck if Kidd turned into a zombie, but kept all his reaper powers _as _a zombie?... We'd all be screwed.

**PyschopathicXangel**- Yeah, some reason my Maka is real moody :/ maybe it's a side effect to the apocalypse and impending doom or something…

**Mikaela**- Well he _tries _to lie… Which ended up in him getting stripped. Not sure if I could consider this a good or bad thing…

**Hawkllama**- Kidd: "You should. It is simply an honor that must be recognized."

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX**- Apparently that's what Robin thinks as well… Hmmm… I wonder what he means by that….


	22. Chapter 22

"What do you mean I'm not going to die?! I was bit!" Kid yelled, seeming to forget Robin was only a child and that they tend to say foolish things.

"You're a _shinigami, _right?" Robin questioned, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. Kid pressed his lips together, unsure if he should take Robin's words at face value.

"_Yeees…" _The reaper extended, unsure of where the small boy was going with this.

"What? You're going to tell me you don't _know _all the functions of a reaper body?" Robin teased, obviously not taking this conversation in full seriousness. He took slow steps towards Kid until they were in front of each other.

"Of course I do!" Kid spat smugly, crossing his arms and trying to look dignified when in fact he resembled a defiant child. "And I suppose you do?"

"Well, duh. I've read a books on shinigamis and the history of Lord Death. I may be 5, but I'm stupid. How did you think I knew who you were when we first met?" Robin rolled his eyes again.

"I _am_ Lord Death's son. Plenty of people know me."

"No, no, no. I'm not some fan boy, I assure you, don't flatter yourself." Robin waved his tiny hand. Patty laughed at the look Kid gave the child, the rest of the group simply watched the scene unfold in utter confusion. "Don't you ever read about your family? Or yourself?"

"Not particularly, no." The reaper replied, rather sheepishly. "I find it a bit conceited to read a book on myself…"

Robin rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. "You're lucky I have. It was recorded that your great grandfather was bitten by a black mamba before he had taken on his father's role; but he survived it by shearing off his skin around it." Liz shuttered visibly, though if it was from the mention of a snake or of sheared skin was not discussed.

Kid raised an eyebrow skeptically. "This is a Rotter bite, Robin. I don't think it has the same effect as a snake…" He said slowly, though he was still pondering the thought. Kid could scarcely recall reading a book about the relation of snake venom and anti-venom; generally the venom of a snake directly attacks the nervous system… Though isn't that what the Rotter's virus does as well? It must for its effects to be so quick. Could this barbaric method possibly work…?

"I don't see why it wouldn't." Robin huffed, making his way around Kid, making a complete circle before returning to his spot directly in front of him. "Lemme see it…" Without warning, Robin jumped up onto the startled reaper, wrapping his legs around his waist and grabbing a fist full of shirt to keep himself up to his height and steady, all the while tugging at the sleeve that was slowly being stained in an eerie colored blood.

"H-Hey! Get off me!" The death god stuttered, too stunned to truly prevent the child from acting like a small primate as a look pain graced his facial features while Robin clawed at his sleeve. Once finally succeeding in removing the obstruction from the wound, Robin paused.

"Wooooow, cool~!" He chimed, unhinging his legs from around Kid's waist and letting himself fall to the ground in a manor that was far from graceful. "It's all purple!" And just like that, the young boy's intelligence dropped back down to his age; he and Patty gawked at it in amusement at its vibrant, unusual shade; Liz and Staz seemed to loose every bit of color in their face and Maka simply sat there, indifferent. She had already seen the gruesome wound.

"He's got a point." Staz spoke up, causing heads to jerk in his direction. "I know it doesn't sound too appealing, but at least it's trying. What have you got to loose?" Kid nodded. Though he didn't particularly like the fact that he would soon have to be _skinned; _it was either this or a certain early death and Kid was more than happy to take the former.

"Alright. I'll do it."

* * *

As soon as Kid decided, everyone was given a task. Patty and Liz were to go down to the stream (for real this time) and collect water to put through their makeshift filtration system; Kid had a feeling they would need a lot, if not all, of their supply they had now to thoroughly clean a knife (which Staz was doing), cease the bleeding and rehydrate himself. He would be loosing a lot of blood tonight. Thankfully, Staz had offered to cut it for him rather than Kid do it himself. He explained that his father owned a clinic and he and Riz helped him every once in awhile when extreme wounds showed up. Maka was hastily going through their small collection of first aid kits, searching for any sort of pain killers, bandages or any other medical equipment they might need.

Seeing their lack of wide coverage bandages, Kid went to go through his backpack to find any article of clothing worth tearing up to form a makeshift bandage. He pulled out a dark orange shirt with a single green star in the top corner of the chest and curled his lip. _Disgustingly asymmetrical… _He though bitterly, almost sneering as he ripped the shirt into long strips for his soon-to-be-skinless arm. As he was just about to close his bag, he noticed a small book that struck his memory.

"Ohh, What's that?" Robin said behind him, causing Kid to jump slightly.

"This?" He said, pulling out the vibrantly colored book. "It's a coloring book I found back when we were in that grocery store and thought you might like it…" He deadpanned, pulling up the matching set of crayons that had small dinosaurs printed on the labels.

"I give you the cure to your death and you repay me with a color book?" Robin said, almost laughing, though not ungratefully so.

Kid shrugged with a small smile, "And crayons…" He tempted, though he was already returning the book to his backpack. The present really was a shot in the dark; not all children liked to color. But as Kid was getting ready to zip his bag back up Robin stopped laughing, all seriousness returning to his face.

"I still might use it though…" He trailed off sheepishly. Kid smiled widely and gave him the book and crayons.

"Ey' Kid!" Staz called as Robin shuffled away, a smile broad on his face with his new gift in hand. Kid looked up to the sound of his name, seeing Staz walking towards him with a glass bottle. "I nicked this from my dad's stash before Riz and I met up with you lot." He grinned widely. "I was gonna save it, but I figured you could appreciate it more than I can." Upon closer inspection, Kid was able to distinguish the word 'Whiskey' written in old English letters along with its brand name. Kid had never drank, nor did her really have any desire too, but it was worth looking into seeing as several people used alcohol as a sort of pain reliever. The reaper smiled half heartedly and accepted the bottle, taking off the cork with a pop as Staz returned to cleaning the knife which seemed to have been doused in the liquid beforehand.

Taking a deep breath, Kid tipped up the container and took a healthy swig from the glass bottle. Big mistake. He sputtered and choked as the liquid fire slid ruthlessly down his throat. Staz watched the scene, laughing all the while.

"Small sips, mate. Small sips." He chortled, watching Kid as he wiped some of the spilt liquid from his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He was defiantly _not _doing that again.

Upon Liz and Patty's return, they decided to get it over with. Kid removed his shirt and was instructed by Staz to lay flat on the ground. Staz took a deep breath and stuck a rag in Kid's mouth, earning a confused look. "Trust me, you'll want that there." Now it was Kid's turn to take a deep breath. Without warning, it felt as though someone was trying to saw his arm off with a dull steak knife. Strangely enough, Kid felt his throat burning as well, and that's when he realized it was from him screaming.

Maka watching in horror as Staz meticulously scrapped at Kid's arm, pulling off piece by piece as if he were skinning an orange. "Water." Staz called and was quickly responded to by Liz, who already had some prepared, though she didn't even look in the direction of her meister's mutilated arm. Maka wished she had that sort of control, but her gaze seemed to be fixed on the tearing flesh. It wasn't like any wound she had ever seen; at first when Staz had cut it, purple ooze had flooded the wound, but the deeper into the skin he went, the more red it became. She assumed this to be a good sign, but she couldn't help but cringe at the strong reaper's pitiful cries for mercy. She had a feeling Kid had lost all verbal control awhile ago, seeing as he was pleading for it to stop and begging for death. Robin and Patty sat in silence, expressions unreadable.

Just as Staz was getting to the most crucial part, the actual contact of the bite, Kid began to thrash around violently, luckily, the brunette was able to get his knife away before the sudden jerky movements caused any unnecessary damage. Maka jumped over to help, one hand pinning down Kid's good shoulder, the other firmly holding his chest. Staz sat on the good part of Kid's injured arm, trying to keep the spasms to a minimum, and continued the procedure.

Maka was now face to face, and almost nose to nose with the whimpering boy, she never would have imagined he could look so feeble. His mouth gaped open in a silent scream with the cloth hanging loosely between his teeth, Maka figured he had strained and lost his voice. "Shhh… It's ok. It's almost over…" She tried, all the guilt in the world bombarding her. After he had explained what exactly happened in the store, she was able to put two and two together. Kid had said he smashed a glass case and that had been what stirred the Rotters; the only think he had obtained that would have been in a glass case was the shiny piece of jewelry that not adorned her neck. He had gotten bit because he was retrieving a present for her. When realization had dawned on her, her first instinct was to be angry. Did he really get bit _just _to retrieve a present for her? It was a stupid piece of metal! She was utterly disgusted by it, wanting to rip it to scraps and through it in the stream (which she almost did once or twice while Kid's back was turned) , and now, looking back at her momentary anger, she realized she had unintentionally taken it out on Kid himself. Throwing him angry glances before they left the cave, giving him the silent treatment all the way back, making him feel completely useless by attacking and killing that Rotter… But the more she stewed in her own fumes, the more she pondered why she was angry. Maka was really angry at herself; maybe it wasn't directly her fault, but she was defiantly in the equation. She was now appalled that she had ever even considered disposing over the necklace; in fact, she would now do the exact opposite. It was a gift that _he _had risked his life to get _her, _only a complete _fool _would throw that away_. _If she were to throw it away it would be the very equivalent to throwing his life away; his actions would have been in vain. All her anger was immediately transformed to guilt.

Kid's sudden regain in voice brought the blonde back. He spat the rag out of his mouth and looked at her, gold eyes, whose pupils were the size of pin heads, on worried green. "Maka!" He yelled, though his voice held no anger, only pleading. "Make him stop Maka! Kill me! Make it stop!" He cried, tears of agony fusing with beads of sweat.

"Kid, he's almost done…" She said, just above a whisper, but loud enough where he could hear her. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Maka… Do you hate me?" He muttered, surprisingly in a whisper.

"No, Kid. I-"

"Why do you HATE ME?!" He screamed, throwing his head back. As if this had given him some sort of idea, he began slamming his head into the dirt, hitting harder with every try. Maka quickly moved one of her hands to his head and fisted his sweat soaked hair in a tight grasp, pinning it down.

"Kid, I'm so sorry…" Maka said, her breath labored as she fought tears.

He gave her one last pleading look, then his glowing golden eyes rolled to the back of his head and shut. Maka's breath caught in her throat.

"Staz?!" She called, uneasy.

"I-It's ok. I'm pretty sure he's alright. He just passed out from the pain. He's still with us." He reassured half-heartedly. "I'm done. Liz, get me some bandages." When there was no immediate response, he looked over to see the blond in a fetal position, her face buried in her knees and body shaking in sobs. "Liz! Bandages!" He said, rougher this time. She jumped at his tone and rushed over with the makeshift dressings.

Maka stared at Kid's now placid face, hair in disarray and beads of sweat rolling this way and that. Kid would've been a wreck if he saw how far from symmetrical he really looked; he would now be even further so with that scar he has. She gently smoother out his hair, fixing it as best she could, and kissed him gently on the forehead. Liz either didn't notice or didn't care.

Thirty minutes later after Staz had successfully dressed the now open and more extensive wound, Kid stirred. Before anyone was able to say anything, Kid rushed over to get the glass bottle Staz had presented him with and gulped down a mouthful.

He found the burn to be rather enjoyable.

* * *

**Weird last line, but I was really trying to hit at the philosophy "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" sort of deal.**

**So I have my school schedule, and… Well, sorta bad news. I _do _have free time, but not as much as I had originally hoped, meaning I won't update as often, but I will still update in a reasonable amount of time (Like… Every 3 or 4 days? I dunno, we'll see how it works out) BUT, my school splits the entire school year into quarters and first quarter happens to be my busiest; we have four classes a day and I only have one off period. Second quarter is a bit better, I have 2 off periods. Third quarter is THE BEST, I only have a single 30 minute class a day, and fourth quarter is the same as second. SO, that being said, I will update as often as my current schedule allows me.**

**A little fun thing that happened to me yesturday. I sat through an entire hour and a half long lecture about symmetry in my pre calculus class. No joke. My professor only talked about symmetry. Even funnier? I wore my Death The Kidd shirt that day.**

**Replies~!**

**Jeager's Paradise**- Well… ^ that's what happened to Kidd…

**Art n' Music**- Yeah, Robin is a bit of an odd ball… Your review actually gave me a really good idea actually! Thank you XD

**Checkered Brooke**- Originally, I wanted Robin to resemble basically this kid genius that no one knows how or why he's so smart, he just sort of is. I know it's _very _hard to believe a 5 year old to be this smart or comprehend things on such a high level, but I have actually met a five year old that was far smarter than I portrayed Robin; as a matter of fact, he was the inspiration for Robin's genius streak. But I dunno, you guys (you and a few others) keep saying there's something up with him, maybe I'll think of something special XD

**Hawkllama**- I had so much fun making Robin sound like a smart ass know it all in this chapter! I guess you could say he's creepy… But really, I just wanted a small child character that didn't want to snuggle or cuddle with anyone, he'd rather just be alone or doing something constructive.

**Mikaela**- All will be revealed in due time… But I am kinda dragging out these answers, huh? In particular, to the question that is asked the most XD

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX**- Ahh… I remember middle school…. *gives the Excalibur face*

**And Shell-kun, even though your review wasn't on 21, I'll still reply**- Nah, don't feel bad, I understand. Life happens ^^. And thank you! I actually have quite a few that I have stored and already started working on that I'm super excited about! Hope you enjoy them as much as this, if not more!


	23. Chapter 23

The rest of the night was reasonably quiet. After such a stressful event, Liz decided to go to bed early, her voice shaky as she announced it. Staz followed her lead, giving up on the now shredded and half eaten fish and deciding to go to bed hungry. After splitting a can of raviolis Maka had found in a random box stowed away in the store, Robin and Patty decided to muse over his new coloring book; the small boy now lay against a tree, snoring with a red crayon in his hand and Patty was mere inches from drooling on said book in her sleep. This left Maka and Kid alone in silence.

No one had really brought up what had just happened other than Kid when he said he didn't remember much. "I just remember a lot of pain." He said, his eyes distant as he searched for the memories. "And screaming… My screaming." Kid looked over at Maka, seeing almost dried tear trails on her cheeks. He hesitated, but put his good arm around the blonde. "But I'm fine, Maka." He said, a bitter smile half-heartedly on his lips. He felt her shudder under his touch "I'm ok…"

Sobs wrecked through her body and she buried her face into his chest. "I-It's not over yet…" She managed, closing her eyes tight. "You're not cured yet…"

"…I know." He sighed, rubbing her shoulder in comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Kid…" Maka muttered through tears, letting her skinny arms wrap around his middle.

"Sorry? You don't have to be sorry, it's not your fault." Kid creased his eyebrows, though he knew she wasn't looking at him.

"I'm not stupid, Kid. I can read between the lines." Maka sniffed, removing her check from against his chest to look him in the eyes. "You said you broke a glass case, and that's what caused the rotters to stir." She paused to sniff again and wipe slowly vanishing tears with the back of her grimy wrist. "This is the only thing you could've gotten that would be secured by glass." She stated, gently tugging at her necklace for emphasis.

"And you think that's your fault?" He tilted his head slightly, then shook it. "No, no, no. I did that because _I _wanted to, and- no, look at me- and not because you told me to. You had no say so in the matter." He gently lifted her chin with his ringed middle finger for her eyes to be at his. "Don't blame yourself."

Maka said no more on the matter. It wasn't particularly that she felt it was her fault, but the fact that he got bit to get her a gift defiantly weighed guilt over her shoulders. The scythe meister looked away, almost a mock pout on her face. She bravely smirked through tears as her eyes finally met his and she gently shoved him on his good shoulder. "No more suicide gifts." And to that, Kid nodded in agreement.

Maka and Kid were graced with yet another sleepless and awkwardly silent night. After becoming slightly uncomfortable at their closeness without speaking, Maka acted like she was retrieving something from her backpack then replanted her self on the side of the fire opposite of Kid.

He didn't particularly seem to mind; he was actually rather grateful for the small bit of space between them. His mind was telling him so many different things he couldn't begin to sort through them all. It was certain that he defiantly harbored feelings for the blond, and they were feelings far beyond the point of friendship. Though he thoroughly enjoyed having Maka in his arms, he couldn't shut out the small voice in the back of his head shouting that she was an emotional wreck and just needed someone to be there for her; that she didn't really think of him in _that _way. Could this be true? Was she really just being this clingy because of her emotional state? The last thing Kid wanted to do was to take advantage of her needing comfort and misreading it as signs of affection; that would only end in hurting the both of them far too deep than necessary. Kid looked over at the subject of his thoughts and tried to hide a smirk as he watched her green eyes beginning to droop. He shook his head, uselessly trying to rid his mind of what he now deemed to be unhealthy feelings.

But what happened at the cave… That was defiantly _something. _Besides, she was the one that started it, right? He thought back to the moment, trying to prevent his cheeks from blushing profusely. _No, _he thought bitterly. _That was me. _He groaned inwardly; teenage emotions were such a pain in the ass. He sighed, running a hair through his horribly untidy hair and listening to the quiet snores of those round him. Kid decided then and there he would quit trying to, as Liz might put it, 'make a move' on Maka. They simply had too many priorities and teenage love defiantly should not be ranked highly on the list.

* * *

Hours slurred into day and days fused into weeks, and eventually, the group stopped caring what day of the week it was. Not that it mattered anymore; it didn't seem this world would be fixed anytime soon, if at all. Day by day Kid's wound seemed to heal at an unbelievable pace, much to the group's excitement; it seemed Robin had been right, leaving Kid very grateful towards the small boy. After a few relatively quiet days, Kid decided to try, though he knew it would be useless, to call his father. And, just as he expected, nothing but snowy static revealed itself on the shiny machete blade. He swore loudly, causing a dirty look to be cast his way from Maka who was now stringing makeshift bows with Robin; the child had picked up on some of the colorful language and its obsessive uses by the teens, namely Staz and Patty.

Kid ignored her icy glance and continued to stare blankly at his knife which was now returning to a reflection of himself. How could his father do something like this to them? And it didn't seem to just be the city; it seemed to be the entire world. He tightened his grip on the handle so hard his knuckles began to turn pale white; but behind all this anger, dread and absolute fear dwelled, threatening to rear its ugly head. What if his father wasn't the cause of this? Deep down he knew his father wouldn't just do something as massive as this spur of the moment. Even if he was somehow secretly evil, he simply didn't have a motivated personality. Kid shook his head; he hated to think of his father that way… Which leaded to the other possibility, what if his father had no control over this? What if his father was… No, that was just too hard to consider as well-.

Kid stopped himself in mid thought, becoming all too aware of his own reflection in the knife. _How untidy… _He grumbled to himself, taking in his hair that had been long since brushed, the dirt smeared asymmetrically across his cheeks and down his neck… With another look of disgust, he tilted his knife further and further to take in the full extent of his offensive asymmetrical appearance. His breath caught in his throat as he came to his upper arm. His bandage had been off so it could get some air, and though it wasn't a deadly purple anymore, it was still hard to look at it; ugly, even. He let his fingers brush against it as he creased his brow. Reapers didn't generally get scars… But would this be an exception?

"Hey Kid, Robin and I are going out hunting." Maka waved a farewell, slung a homemade bow over her shoulder and set off deep into the woods, Robin jumping at her heels. At least she seemed to be doing better emotion wise…

* * *

"Now you have to hold it like… this…" Maka explained, though her verbal commands weren't nearly effective as her physical. She wrapped her small hands around smaller fingers and propped up the bow and arrow just slightly.

"This good?" Robin asked, standing statue still where the scythe meister had posed him.

"Perfect. Now shoot." At her order, Robin let the tension in the string free yet the arrow fell right to the ground at his feet. He dropped the bow and huffed with a scowl on his face. Maka suppressed a giggle and gathered the fallen weapon. "I think that's enough for tonight, don't you think?"

"But I didn't catch anything!" He exclaimed, glaring enviously at the squirrel and rabbit(1) that Maka had captured within twenty minutes of each other.

"That's ok, I think we'll have enough..." She reassured the pouting boy. "Besides, I bet Staz, Liz and Patty will have food as well." He gave a hearty sigh which Maka ignored, she knew the boy wanted to help, but he would have to face the fact that he wouldn't be good at everything on the first try.

The two had travelled a good distance from the camp during their all day hunting trip, leaving them a decently long walk back. Robin had been travelling a few paces ahead of the blond when he had spoken. "What's that?" He said, bolting off towards the right. Maka followed his lead when he stopped at a small pile of charcoaled wood and some empty soup cans. She felt uneasy of the whole scene, unsure of what to think about it. On one hand, she could be happy, ecstatic even, that there were more survivors, possibly even some she may know… But on the other hand, Kid had explained to her how dangerously easy it was to taunt the human mind and lead them to do the unthinkable. Or maybe, the most likely scenario, there had been survivors. Key words being _had been. _She reached down with dirty fingers, pressed them against the burnt log and gasped.

It was still warm.

* * *

**Oh shiz… Maka went cannibal. **

**Long time no see? Sorta… Sorry, like I said before, this is my first week back and things are a bit hectic, let alone for some reason every night this week I've been getting home late. I've also run into a little bit of transition writers block; I know what I'm going to do with the story, I was just having troubles with the transition. Sorry for the wait then dry chapter, not much happened, but I need this chapter and next as fillers, so next chapter will be similar. After these two fillers, more action is sure to come; thanks for hanging in there guys! **

**Replies~!**

**Jeagar's Paradise**- Sorry it's been so long from an update! And yeah… it was kind of… interesting in a way.

**Art n' Music**- Yeah, I was trying to be creative with it… And I didn't want it all in Kid's POV the entire time because he sort of blacks out soon afterwards and his instinct just sort of takes over; that's why he was asking Maka if she hated him.

**Juvieyumi2500**- Sorry it took so long to update!

**Guest**- Yeah, you gotta have some comedic relief in such a morbid chapter! Especially with Soul Eater, I notice they do that a lot in the anime and manga. They turn a serious or sad moment into something funny A LOT.

**Shell-kun-** Gross, creepy, sweet and funny all in a single chapter; it's a new record! And YES! All the new stories I have in mind are, in fact, KiMa stories. I have two multi-chapter (like this story) fics in mind, one being a crossover, and several one-shots and multi-shots; so stay tuned!

**Mikaela**- I know, I'd just want to give him a hug, though that would probably make it worse o.o yes, Robin's personality is very amusing to write, you just gotta have that smart ass in the group, it makes it even better that he's a little kid. And to the college question, technically, yes I am in college, but I'm also a high school senior. My high school is inside a college and we take both college and high school classes. When I graduate this year, not only will I be graduating high school, I will also graduate with an associate degree in college; I'm one of those nerdy smart people XD… But I will never abandon one of these stories, ever. I have done that on another account in the past and I COMPLETELY regret it, I will never make that mistake again, so no worries~!

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX**- You're going camping?! Don't let the rotters get you! Haha I joke, I joke. But lucky! I would much rather be camping and such than stuck in the underground mall/cafeteria thingy by my school like I am now -.-'


	24. Chapter 24

"We should move on." Kid decided after a long pause from hearing the news about the extinguished fire. "We are in a completely unsecure area; true there are not many rotters here, but who's to say there won't be in the future?" He said, meeting everyone's eyes, feeling his cheeks heat slightly once he got to Maka's. "I don't feel safe here. We are completely exposed…" Everyone was silent, he was losing them. He knew they wanted to stay, he knew they were tired of constant change and they felt safe there because it had been safe before; but if that fire they found wasn't a wake up call, then he didn't know what was. True, he didn't know the story behind it, but it was impossible to ignore the possibility that they were attacked. He could picture the scene of what happened now, only he involuntarily replaced the face with that of a loved one. He watched as Maka sat there, alone, looking into the fire before a large, infected male crept behind her, tearing into her flesh, though she got away, leaving her fire unattended; her escape only being in vain because she had been bitten, and there was no way around it…

"I agree." The very girl that infiltrated his thoughts brought Kid back from his daydream. This seemed to happen a lot. "This place is completely open. We need a more stable, secure place." Kid smiled widely, he knew she didn't really want to leave, but he was more than thankful she was there to back him up. Liz, Patty and Robin looked at each other skeptically. "What if we were swarmed? Say these things travel in herds; like they were at the grocery store. What if a crowd of them, more than we could fight off, just came rushing through here for no reason? They'd be coming at us from all angles." Maka continued, though Kid could tell she was talking herself into moving as well. Hopefully the others couldn't read the blond as well as he could himself. "We need a stable _home." _She emphasized the last word, seeing she had them thinking. She smirked inwardly and knew she had their attention. "Over the weeks that we've been out here, it has done nothing but get colder and colder everyday. Wouldn't you all like to find some abandon house, maybe not too close to a city for it to be swarmed with rotters, but close enough to make supply runs? Of course we can't replace the life we used to have, but I believe we could have a better living than this." She gestured to her surroundings and watched as Liz nodded to herself thoughtfully. "Wouldn't it be nice to sleep in a bed again? Or even a couch? Something _other _than the ground outside?" She knew by the look on their face that she had them hooked.

After a long while, Liz finally spoke. "I see what you're saying… You have my vote." Said Liz, letting out a sigh. Staz, Patty and Robin nodded in skeptical agreement.

Kid smiled, completely gushing on the inside at the fact Maka had stood up for him with no hesitation. "So it's agreed?" He waited for them all to nod. "We pack up tomorrow and leave in the morning."

After their small meeting, Staz, Maka and even Kid busied themselves with preparing their freshly caught meals as Robin, Liz and Patty went down to the stream to do other necessary tasks such as washing clothes, gathering water and prepping for a day of travel.

"Thanks for that." Kid said as he gutted a catfish Staz had caught, trying to ignore the asymmetrical innards of the whiskered fish.

"Hmm?" Maka looked up from her rabbit and over at the reaper. "I just agreed with you, there's nothing to thank me about." She smiled, though he could easily see through it.

Kid smirked knowingly. "I now know too much about you for you to lie. I wouldn't even try." He joked.

She let out a laugh of defeat. "Yeah… I know. But you do have a good point. Condition and safety wise, it would be in all of our best interests to move away from this place. It's literally like a ticking time bomb… At the same time, I feel exactly how the others feel. Moving further away means moving further from Death City… From _home. _It's like letting go of a loved one who has passed away; extremely hard to do, but essential to move on." She watched Kid as she spoke, still slightly in awe over his captivating glowing gold eyes, though she felt she was successful in hiding it.

Kid nodded. Of course he felt this too, if there was any way they could stay in Death City safely, he would more than gladly do it, but he also had a feeling Maka had other reasons for staying too. Death City was the last place Soul was spotted alive, and if against all odds he _was _still alive, the group had a better chance of running into him the closer they stayed to the city. Kid completely understood her internal argument, Soul was her partner, but something about it seemed to tear at his insides. Either way, it seemed Maka was ready to let go. Kid smiled at the girl either way and repeated his appreciation. "Thanks."

Maka returned his smile warmly. "You're welcome."

* * *

Packing the next morning was slightly hectic, but not for reasons of the undead. Thief had wandered off somewhere in the night and Robin insisted on finding him before they left which took well over an hour and a half out of their morning. Otherwise, the travel was fairly non-eventful just as Kid and Maka's had been. They decided to set off towards the cave, seeing as it was a decent resting spot for the night and for the simple fact that it was fairly easy to guard; one way in, one way out, no secret passage ways or chinks in the walls. The group arrived well past sun down; Liz had insisted on several breaks in between travel claimed they all needed rest and finally Kid suggested Patty carry her in weapon form, earning oohs and aahs from Robin as the slender girl transformed into a deadly M9 pistol.

"I'll go get wood for a fire." Maka announced, watching as the rest of her friends busied themselves with other tasks around the cave. The weather, though they were slowly getting used to outdoor living, refused to let up; it had done nothing but get increasingly colder as the days went on and tonight was no different. It was no question if they needed a fire or not.

Kid looked up as she spoke, torn between accompanying her or finishing his task at hand which was reassembling their water filtration system, a daunting task he felt safest leaving to himself seeing as hydration was extremely high on the priorities list and one layer forgotten could mean polluted water. He really hated the idea of her going alone but wouldn't dare voice that thought out loud, he didn't want to start any unnecessary tiffs with the scythe meister. It was true that what he was doing at the moment was mandatory and if he were to go with Maka it could be a detrimental setback, but he was concerned for her safety. The reaper shook his head internally, _No, you're just wanting to be around her; you're letting your emotions interfere with the well-being of the group again… _Having this internal quarrel with himself in a matter of split seconds, he slowly nodded his head ok and she flashed him a bright smile that sped his heart rate before she turned to retrieve her machete and bounded off towards the unfamiliar woods.

"Stay close…" Kid called after her, though whether she heard or not, he was unsure.

* * *

Maka smiled at the decent pile of lumber, satisfied with the collection she had gathered in such a short amount of time. She sighed as she took in a deep breath of the night air. She missed simple things such as stargazing, though she figured she'd probably have a better chance stargazing now that she was away from city lights and distractions. She _did _gather the wood quicker than expected… Maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt… And they had been walking all day, a rest wouldn't hurt… Smiling to herself, she laid down under a break in the trees and gazed up at the stars. It was quite beautiful, really; clusters of stars shone brightly, the sky framed by red and orange leaved trees. She liked to believe looking at the night sky could make even the worst of days seem better. It was almost like a window to an entire new world. Maka wasn't one to rant and rave over the existence of aliens, but looking at the immensity of space made her wonder what was truly out there. There was so many places unexplored, so many questions unanswered, it seemed almost foolish to believe there isn't something else out there…

Maka gasped as a rough hand pulled her up by her hair and clasped another large grimy hand over her mouth; she froze, her battle ready mind already thinking through her situation. Rancid breath spewed over her neck as a dark chuckle emitted from beside her. "We've been watching you and your friends for quite awhile, miss."

* * *

**Sort of dull for the most part, but were getting around to the good stuff, I promise! I'm getting over that little bit of writers block I had, so maybe things will flow a bit smoother from here on out. **

**Also, if you're into one-shots, I've started a collection of KiMa one shots based on common fairy tales called Soul Eater: A Collection of Tales. If you guys wanna check that out as well ^^ **

**Replies~! **

**RosesInTheShade**- Thank you! I hope, despite some of the slower chapters, this fic ultimately keeps you guys on your toes! And as for Tsubaki, Soul and Blackstar… Well… Can't say much about them yet.

**SecretFantacs**- I would totally let you hid in my bag XD I'm bringing my Beelzebub skateboard so I could just set my bag on that and roll it so I don't have to worry about carrying you XD

**Mikaela**- Yes! There does have to be that ONE person (and I'm generally that one XD). And oooh, good theory! Sorry about all the questions, unfortunately they won't get answered till later, but I promise, they will get answered!

**Checkered Brooke**- I didn't make you guys wait too long this time :)

**Shell-kun**- Heck yes! Black butler reference! But why you cry? I didn't mean to make you cry! D: But thank you for such the nice words! (Or should I thank Sebastian?) It means a lot to me that I have inspired someone :D Uhh oh… Sebastian go hide! Grell is coming o.o (Oh, and I'm a she if you were wondering ^^ )

**Juvieyumi2500**- Hmm, nice guess! But I don't think so… And I actually got the idea when I was at a drive in watching World War Z. I know it's nothing similar to the plot other than zombies, but I had KiMa on the brain and started brainstorming. Hardly even paid attention to the movie XD


	25. Chapter 25

Maka's mind raced as she completely shut out any feeling of fear that tried to protrude her thoughts. The voice was male, not one she had ever heard before. Judging by the size of his hand, this guy was huge; meaning he would more than likely be slow. Two other men emerge from the shadows in front of her, both bearing sinister grins. One was extremely tall and lanky, Maka's machete now in his grasp, though he looked as if he had never seen a fight in his life; she could tell his smugness was all an act. This brought her gaze to the third and final man, he was rather short (though slightly taller than herself), but he seemed to be the most threatening of the group. With his thick, meaty arms bounded in tattoos and small beady eyes that held an animalistic quality, Maka would've been slightly intimidated just to walk by him on a normal day. Not to mention the menacing looking blades in his hands. Maka knew she couldn't scream for help. Despite the dirty hand over her lips, if she were to scream, rotters would swarm, they seemed to like noises of distress, and put everyone back at the cave in danger.

Maka took a deep breath and let her body go completely limp, which earned a deep chuckle from her captor._ The more they underestimate me, the better._ "Smart girl. See? This will be so much simpler for you if you just cooperate." The short man sneered, a smile evident in his venomous voice. She let her head loll forward, bangs covering her face, as she heard soft steps come closer. "Not very busty is she?" He commented, poking at her chest and earning a few chuckles from the other two.

"I'm telling you, boss. She was travelin' with two other chicks. _They _we hot." The taller man smirked. Maka tightened a fist, though they didn't seem to notice. So they were being followed? No way would she let assholes like these around her friends…

"No matter… We could still use her." He grinned. Though they couldn't see it, Maka returned the grin. They had made a fatal mistake. Without warning, Maka swung her leg out from under her and landed a heavy kick to the shorter mans face, catching him of guard and sending him to the ground clumsily. Without a moment of hesitation, she elbowed her captor in the gut and turned to knee him in the crotch at the same time with more force than he expected and sent him doubling over, involuntarily, in pain. The third, slightly uncertain, guy furrowed his brows and against his better judgment, pursued the girl, grabbing at her wrist. Maka laugh internally at the foolish gesture, this was the first thing they tell you _not _to do in hand to hand combat. Her hand reached around and grabbed the wrist that restrained her own and twisted it painfully with all her might, causing him to release and retract his now stinging wrist. Attention on his arm rather than his attacker, the man was completely open to the kick and punch combo Maka dealt with ease. He landed on the ground and though he was still conscious, the blond knew he wouldn't be getting back up to fight.

Hearing shuffling behind her, she turned to see the man who had restrained her regain his composure and slowly rising to his feet. Maka ran at him at brake neck speed. Thinking he would outsmart the small girl, the man opened his arms wide to grab hold of her once she came near. Already expecting him to react in such a way, Maka ducked under his huge arms and ran at a tree behind him. She partially ran up the trunk and used it to kick off of sending her flying, full force, at the confused man's back and ultimately sending him to the ground where his head smacked against a rock with a louder than expected crack. He was immediately unconscious. She smiled at her handy work, but only briefly, then turned to face the final man; only he wasn't there. Just before she was able to realize what was going on, she felt a sharp pang in the side of her forehead and everything went black.

* * *

Kid frowned slightly as he put in the final layer of sand into the water system. He still didn't like the fact that Maka had went to collect firewood on her own, even if it was just firewood. _Nobody _should be out there on their own. He shut his eyes and reached out for her soul with what little soul perception he was allowed. Since they had moved to the cave, his soul perception had only gotten worse. This confirmed his suspicion that the rotters dead souls were interfering with his and Maka's abilities. Seeing as there were more rotters around the cave, it was only nature that his talent would be weakened. Either way, he still sighed in relief as her light orange, pigtailed soul came into view.

"So, Kid." The reaper's eyes flew open at the accusing voice of his weapon. He looked up to see the twin pistol smirking at him. "You and Maka still seem pretty… _Close_." She drug out the word, assuring her naive meister would catch her implications. "Must've been nice, you and Maka, alone again, in a nice cozy cave by a fire…" Her smirk grew as a brilliant blush crept across the reaper's otherwise pale cheeks. "Ha! I knew something happened. Go ahead, spill." Kid's eyes widened and resembled that of a deer in headlights. No way was he going to tell Liz what happened; it was such a bittersweet moment that was his and Maka's alone. No one else could have it; just this one thing he felt he could be greedy over. Unfortunately, Liz took her meister's coyness and facial expressions the wrong way. "Death The Kid! You did not! You both are far to young- and not to mention innocent- for such scandalous behav-" She gasped.

"Shhh! Keep it down. Though I'm not entirely sure of the extent of your less than pure thoughts running rampant through your head, Elizabeth," he paused, narrowing his eyes at the dirty-minded teen. "I can assure you that whatever you are imagining did _not _happen between Maka and myself. Now if you'll excuse me…" He trailed, giving one last glance to his pistol then closing his eyes, searching for Maka again.

Liz sighed, knowing his intentions. "Kid, she's fine. She just went to go get firewood. She didn't even have to go that far." She smiled as she spoke, finding it utterly adorable Kid had finally found a girl for himself. Sure he had been friends with this girl for nearly a year now; but she was almost certain these more-than-friends feelings only hit her meister recently.

Kid's face continued to harbor a bright pink as he, yet again, searched for Maka's soul…Something was off… He could sense her soul, but it seemed to be in distress, resembling a soul that was in battle. Not only that, but other souls, though much smaller than hers, surrounded it. Kid's eyes flew open in an instant and he was out of the cave, a knife in hand.

* * *

When Maka awoke, she could see nothing. It was obvious something had been placed around her eyes to prevent her vision. She had no way of knowing how long she had been knocked out, just the dull pain of a knot around her temple. She listened hard and carefully to the environment around her, thoroughly surprised by the amount of so many different voices chattering around her. More survivors. She stayed limp as she realized she was being carried. Perhaps playing dead would give her some sort of advantage in the future; not that she could put up much of a fight at this point, her body felt as if it had been beaten brutally to a further extent after she was unconscious. She kept her breath soft and tried not to panic as she felt herself being passed from one set of arms to another.

"Put her with the rest." She recognized the throaty voice of the shorter man from back by the cave.

"Yes sir." The voice of the man who was now carrying her resonated in his chest, vibrating Maka's ear. He sounded much older than any of the men back at the clearing, but his deep, rough voice seemed more than capable of holding up a fight. She vaguely heard him utter a few things such as 'not very appealing' and 'chest-less' under his breath. Is that really what they wanted her for? Perhaps with her lack of bust they would leave her alone… But that was only hoping.

Not long after the exchange, Maka felt herself being set on the ground, and heard the jingling of keys. She was very tempted to run away, but realized her wrists and ankles had been bound tightly together. "Shut up, Shut up!" He called to voices that Maka couldn't quite make out. She heard the distinct cocking of a gun, then the creak of a wooden door. "Get back! I swear, any of you come within 10 feet of the door, your brains will find a new home on the floor!" He sneered and Maka felt herself being raised off the ground again, then tossed onto what felt like a wooden floor. She heard the door close and lock before the whispered chatter grew to voices of concern. Soon, the blonde felt her restraints being untied as soft, cooing voices attempted comforted her. Maka had absolutely no strength to move or any will to speak. She simply let the faceless voices do what they would to her.

"It's ok, we'll have these things off of you…"

"Poor thing…"

"Is she alive? She's not moving…"

"They got another one?"

"This late at night?"

One thing did grab Maka's attention. All these voices seemed to be female, and all with the purest of intentions. Finally, her blindfold was removed and she squinted in the dark, just barely able to make out a familiar dark blue eyed face framed by long, black hair. "M-Maka?!"

* * *

**You guys deserve to be spoiled so I updated a day early ^^ Holy Crap-ola! More of the gang! Sorry for the fairly short chapter though… And oh, Liz doesn't know how close to home she hit XD **

**Thinkin' about writing a Bonnie and Clyde style KiMa one-shot to the song 'All the Stars in Texas' by Ludo. Any thoughts? **

**Replies~! **

**Checkered Brooke- **Yeah, I know :/ sorry for such a cliché and over done situation, but it was very necessary for the plot, and had to be done. I guess you could say we got to see a little more Maka power though!

**SecretFantacs- **Yes, clueless, innocent Kidd is defiantly, utterly adorable! And huh, I never thought about it like that! I will now make whoever enters my room say that chant before the door is open. It must be done.

**Mikaela- **And kick ass she did! Until that bastard cheated… Yes, It will be hard to add some of that KiMa fluff at the moment, but as for n future chapters, I can definitely see what I can do. I do foresee one last little blank spot in the plot where I can add fillers with fluff, so we'll see what happens :) Also, thank you, yet again, for such kind words. I really do appreciate every single comment like these (I think you guys are spoiling me with them) and they truly do motivate me to keep writing.

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX- **Isn't it though? I'd be kicking some butt then and there though. Nobody grabs me from behind like that! (I've also grown up with two older brothers so they kinda taught me how to fight XD)

**Shell-kun- **Oh yeah, they did kind of have a little fluff induced moment, didn't they? And oh, trust me. I have an every growing bank of OC's in the back of my mind. But thanks for the offer!


	26. Chapter 26

Kid cursed himself under his breath as he chased after the slowly disappearing soul. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be… Was she bitten? Is that why her soul was slowly, but surely, fading?... No, he had sensed others there as well, and the dead don't have souls; not ones he could sense anyway. It was only when he paused for a brief moment upon finding an unconscious body did he realize he was being followed. "Staz, go back to the cave; take care of the sisters and Robin. I can handle this on my own, thank you for your concern." By the end of his sentence, Kid had already began to run blindly in the direction he believed the souls were headed, paying the unconscious body no mind. If what he believed had happened to Maka truly had happened, he hoped the rotters bestowed the most painful death possible upon the man on the ground. He smiled bitterly to himself, imagining the small girl taking on men much larger than herself. He had to admit, she did pretty good for three on one. He frowned when he continued to hear footsteps behind him. "I said go back, Staz." Kid pressed, willing himself to move faster. He was beginning to lose them, they already had a head start, and it seemed they were entering Rotter territory.

"I'm not letting you go alone. That's final." He said, though his breath was huffy, he kept up his pace just behind Kid. "This is not a world where you can go out alone anymore; I don't care if you are a shinigami. I've got your back. Besides, I believe your girls, along with the little spit-fire, could handle things while we're gone."

Kid smiled, grateful he had back up. "Alright then. You better keep up."

The two ran for what seemed like hours before Kid finally started to slow down. They were nearing the town he had gotten bit. "Huh…" Staz breathed after he caught his breath. "Who knew this was around here. Doesn't look like they faired any better than Death City…" He commented, bitterness intertwined in his voice. "You sure you sense her here? It looks deserted."

Kid closed his eyes at Staz's words, trying to search for the blonde meister's soul. Out of sheer luck, her felt it flicker somewhere within the depths of the city, but it soon faded; though Kid was pretty certain it was just his perception failing on him, and not that she had been… Kid's knees threatened to give out under him if he were to finish that statement. "Yes, I'm certain." Kid replied, washing the disturbing thoughts from his brain. "Be careful. This is the same town Maka and I where in when I got bit." He explained, "We only stayed on the edge of town. As a matter of fact, that's the grocery store we had visited." He pointed over to the vaguely familiar store, bad memories of it chilling him to the bone. It was true, the town seemed utterly huge, maybe even the size of Death City itself, but he and Maka went no further than the store on its outskirts. Was it possible Maka's kidnappers dwelled somewhere within the seemingly desolate city?

Kid trudged on, Staz following behind him, but they were now at a much slower pace than before. One misstep on a discarded soda can or other rubbish laying about was sure to alert dormant rotters inside the buildings; they were already pushing it without masking their scent. As Kid was deep in thought, a rough hand held him still, but luckily he had enough sense to not holler out. He turned, brows furrowed, to see Staz with a finger to his lips, then pointing it straight ahead, his face ghostly pale.

The reaper followed his companion's line of sight to see a small yet suspicious looking rope, taunt, and very, very low to the ground; a trip wire, Kid concluded very easily. So there were other there, and it seemed they didn't particularly like company. Upon closer inspection, Kid realized why the color had drain from Staz's face. Following the trip wire, he was just able to make out a small fence rigged up to a pulley system and an uncountable number of dormant rotters vacantly toying with the gate's chain-linked metal. In long story short, if they hadn't seen the trip wire (which admittedly was hard to see in the dark) they would have set free dozens of rotters within feet of themselves. What made matters worse was the fact that even if they _didn't _trip the wire, the beasts were sure to see them as the walked past, and the fence didn't seem to be all that sturdy. Kid looked up and around the buildings. It seemed their only alternative was to travel by rooftop; though they would have to be extremely careful, these rooftops seemed even less stable than those back in Death City. The young death god reached behind and pulled the brunette up next to him by the collar of his shirt, close enough so he could hear his breathy whisper. "There's a simple solution. We travel by roof top." Kid let his golden eyes gaze across the rooftops framed by the night sky. The sun would be rising soon, he noted; the moon's eyes were beginning to droop. "We cannot panic, but we have to be careful. The tiles don't look steady and I wouldn't put it past anyone to not set traps like this one above ground as well."

Staz nodded, though Kid could simply tell by his quivering soul he was frightened. In all honesty, the more Kid read between the lines, the more it frightened himself; not only for his well being, but Maka's as well. These sick bastards were using _Rotters _as a trap. Meaning they had somehow rounded them all together, no doubt with some sort of bait… Kid shook his head and swore, his overactive imagination would be what got himself killed. With great caution, the two climbed up an old fire escape as quietly as rickety stairs would allow and, fortunately, they managed to go undetected.

Just as expected, the roofs were a complete patchwork; though if it was for security reasons or not was unknown. Kid cursed under his breath. He could no longer feel Maka's soul and this roof was only slowing them down… _Hold on, Maka. _He thought bitterly. _I'm coming, I promise. _

* * *

After spending a good half hour on getting around various traps and naturally made un-sturdy city, the two somehow managed to make it to a small camp. Even though Kid couldn't pinpoint Maka's soul in particular, he could still pick up one or two souls around that area. How wrong he had been.

Kid and Staz now crouched undetected on a rooftop over looking what seemed to be an absolute community. Dozens upon dozens of people crowded the streets, partying, drinking and laughing; that wasn't including the crowded houses and what used to be convenient stores. If Kid had to guess, there were easily a hundred men, if not more. Kid felt his blood boil. Was Maka really mixed in with this mess? No telling what they would do to her…

"Kid!" The reaper was brought back to reality as something grabbed for his hand. Instinctively, he pulled it away only to realize it was Staz. "You're gonna slice your fingers off!" He continued to hiss, low enough not to disturb anyone on the ground below. With a cocked eyebrow, Kid looked at his hand to see bright red liquid draining from the lengths of his fingers, a knife still held loosely in his grasp; only then did he feel the stinging cut beneath the blood. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked over to meet the brunette's sympathetic eyes. "She's alright, I promise you. They haven't even had her for that long. We'll save her." Kid nodded and turned his attention back to the clearing, wiping his bloodied hand carelessly on his pants and preparing a strategy for finding Maka. Though he would've liked nothing more than to ransack the place, guns blazing, and kill every filthy excuse for a human being insight, he knew he would be over run, especially since he only had blades and not Liz and Patty. _Damn! If I had thought this through I would've brought the sisters… They may not work against rotters, but they'd certainly work against these filthy swines… _ He sighed as he looked up to the moon once more. If they were expecting to get anything done under the cover of nightfall, they needed to act quickly. Kid's thoughts were interrupted by movement in the darkness ahead of him; it seemed there was someone else just ahead of Staz and himself on the opposite rooftops but they were obviously not a part of this community. Squinting his eyes, Kid could just barely make out two figures hiding in the shadows; though he didn't seem to see him, Kid could definitely see them. His breath caught in his throat.

The brilliant shocks of blue and white hair were completely unmistakable.

* * *

** This chapter was written and thoroughly inspired by the song Fragile by Nine Inch Nails **

**I do apologize for the short chapter. **

**I want to remind you guys about the contest, the first place winner gets to create a reoccurring character (meaning it won't just show up once and be gone forever) for my next Soul Eater/ Harry Potter crossover fic . Second place winner get to create a character that will appear in my next KiMa oneshot. So far I've only receive one amazing entry, but I hope to see more! Remember, contest closes a day after the last chapter of Beyond Help is posted. **

**Replies~!**

**Mikaela- **Isn't it though? I know how it's going to end yet I feel the suspense gnawing at me as well! It's just so much fun to write! I've got a few things up my sleeve; Fluffiness, anger, jealousy, love, maybe even tragedy? Who knows?

**Checkered Brooke- **Oh yes, Kidd is about ready to kick some serious ass, I could completely see him going absolutely berserk at this point. Yes, Tsubaki being captured along with Maka helps me out quite a bit with where this whole thing is going.

**Carifoo2001- **Ok…I'm… sorry? Not really sure how to respond when people comment like this. Anyways, yes, it was Tsubaki.

**Awesomex- **Maybe this last sentence gave you the same reaction? :)

**Shell-kun- **Alright, cool! Hope this chapter was just as good!

**SecretFantacs- **Oh, he will. They messed with his Maka. You can definitely expect some serious shinigami kicking ass in the near future.

**Deaththekids sis- **I hope this was soon enough D:

**PenSketch- **Ooooh, that would've been a good one! Sounds like something I would do XD But I don't feel like being that mean to you guys.


	27. Chapter 27

"Tsubaki!" Maka gasped, wincing as she forced her body upwards and towards he long lost friend. "Tsubaki, where are we?" Maka asked, looking around at several grimy faces of woman from all ages watching the pair skeptically.

"I was only brought here a few hours ago; they took me when I was-"

"Haper Springs… Or it used to be anyways." A woman who looked in her mid 30's stood up, nearing the two teens, her expression hard and angry, but not necessarily at the two girls before her. "As I was telling your friend before you arrived here, our town wasn't infected nearly as fast as Tsubaki said Death City was. A whole group of us, maybe 30 or so, banned together and put up a barricade, protecting a good portion from the infected, which is the same barrier we're in now. We were like a huge family-"

"But… I was attacked." Maka's brows furrowed and her voice was hostile. "I was kidnapped. That doesn't sound too family friendly to me."

"A few weeks after the city had gone completely haywire outside our barrier, a group of men lead by a man named Katsuo happened to stumble upon us and asked for a few nights shelter; not knowing their true ill intentions, we gladly let them in after inspecting them for wounds." The woman paused and looked to the ground, not meeting Maka's eyes. "The man was extremely kind and grateful at first, but we soon found this to be one big act. After a few days, we realized our supplies were dangerously low, far too low than it should've been. Kaito, the man most of us looked up to and saw as a leader, found out Katsuo's men had secretly been stealing our supplies little by little. When Kaito tried to confront him about the vanishing supplies, Katsuo killed him on the spot, in front of the entire town, ensuring everyone bear witness to what he had just done. He then called for all those who apposed his leadership to speak."

"And did anyone speak up? Surely you put up some sort of fight." Maka questioned.

"Oh, there were several who spoke out," She shook her head, "but unfortunately it was one at a time, and Katsuo's men had apparently been trained in combat, easily taking down all who apposed… They enslaved all the women and children…" She shivered and another woman came to comfort her. "They started bringing in more survivors, giving the men an option to join them or be beaten to death… But the women had not choice…" At that point, tears began to trickle down her face in the darkness.

"I-Don'-caaare!" A voice slurred into laughter and everyone in the room seemed to scatter except for Maka and Tsubaki, who continued to stare at the door, unable to move. "She was kinna cute." The jiggle of the door handle caused the two girls to inch back from their crouched position on the floor. "Therrr' she is…" A man in his mid 40s swung the door open with a partially toothless smile. "I saw them bringin' you in, I did." He hiccupped, moving towards Tsubaki and Maka, who cringed in reply. "Jus' had to have ya, 'ya know? Nature calls and all tha'.." His breath smelt heavily of alcohol as he reached a bony hand out towards Maka. Instinctively, Tsubaki moved in front of the shivering girl, swatting at the older man's hand.

"Leave her alone!" She said threateningly. "Look at what you're doing! She's still so _young_!" Tsubaki pleaded, hoping to get through to the drunken man, though to no avail.

Outraged, the man slapped the weapon and snatched up Maka before she could do anything about it. "Learn yer place, you bitch!" He growled harshly. The blond tried to squirm away from the man's cold hands, but her body was simply too beaten and too bruised to put up any sort of a fight.

* * *

"Assassin's rule, number one. Silence. Dissolve in the darkness and erase your breath." Blackstar muttered, his eyes closed tight as he struggled to maintain absolute focus.

"Keep it down Blackstar! They'll hear you." Soul shushed, watching the drunken men continue to waste away. All this alcohol couldn't be good for the liver… How uncool.

"Assassin's rule, number two. Transpositional Thinking. Analyze your target in order to predict its thoughts and movem- Hey!" Blackstar growled, rubbing the back of his head where Soul had just back handed him. "You don't just hit a god like tha-" Both boys ducked as one semi sober man looked up towards the roof they were perched on. After a moment, he simply shrugged and continued to take a swig from his bottle then a drag from his cigarette.

"You're gonna get us seen!" Soul hissed, hardly loud enough for even the blue haired assassin to hear. "Do you want to save Tsubaki or not?"

Blackstar looked taken back, offended almost, then furrowed his brow, all seriousness returning to his face. "Of course I do. But how do we even know she's here?" He looked around, hardly needing an answer for his question. Of course these were the men that took her; they all seemed to have the same ill intent that glistened in their moral-less eyes. There was just something inside him that hoped and prayed these weren't the people. Something that hoped he hadn't seen her being drug away by vicious looking men. Something that prayed she would simply pop up behind the two of them, saying she was alright and that they could return back to their makeshift camp; but he knew that wasn't the case. Tsubaki _had _been drug away by theses men. She _wouldn't _appear out of thin air behind them. He and Soul would have to go in and rescue her.

"These are the good times, boys!" A man's voice roared through out the clearing, earning cheers and woots from his drunken army. Soul grit his teeth, Tsubaki should be the last person in a place like this; she was simply too kind and innocent for such brutal treatment. He looked around for any sign of the dark weapon when he spotted something else. Far on the other side of the clearing, he could just barely make out a bony looking man halfway guiding, halfway dragging a small blonde girl into a small abandon looking cabin. He snorted in utter disgust. The scythe squinted his eyes and shifted slightly to get a better look when Blackstar shook his shoulder, causing him to snap his attention to the young assassin. He seemed to have seen something too, but in the opposite direction somewhere behind them.

The white haired scythe watched as his friend's eyes went from narrow to wide open. "Is that… Soul- It's Kid!"

* * *

**Sorry, this chapter seemed kind of rushed with the explanation the lady gave and all, but I guess in a way I'm trying to make it seem rushed. Make it seem like everything is happening at once and it's hard to make sense of it all. It just kind of gives off that sense of urgency. **

**Again, the contest is still open. I plan on reminding you every chapter. This story is definitely running on it's last few chapters… I want to predict it will run around 35, maybe less; so don't procrastinate! **

**Replies~!**

**Wow, biggest response I've gotten from a chapter yet! Though I guess it's only expected from the contents of said chapter. **

**Art n' Music- **Unexpected is always a plus. It means I'm doing my job XD

**Checkered Brooke- **yes, getting out of this unscathed would be a god-sent wouldn't it? Hmm… The question is, do I want to be a saint or not?

**SecretFantacs- **Hmmm Older brother Soul is a good idea… I'll take it into consideration, thanks!

**Shell-kun- **Haha! Yes, there will definitely be some Kidd ass kicking in the near future (next chapter, maybe?) so keep your eyes peeled!

**Mikaela- **I read so many fanfics that I'm obsessed with and have to check daily, so I know exactly how it feels, I'm just glad I can give back :)

**Awesomex- **Good. Huge reactions are always fun :D

**RosesInTheShade- **Oh yes. Kidd will be _pissed. _And yes, those three are, in fact, found.

**ShyBandGirl**- Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Hawkllama**- Not for long! *grins and pulls out a bazooka* just kidding!

**Guest**- Yep. They are alive!

**Courage-Earthworm'8- **Really? You think its like a show series? Cool!

**juvieyumi2500- **Wait, I think you misunderstood me. I didn't take the ideas from the movie, the movie just got me thinking about zombies. The plot and all is entirely original XD And yes, I do have a few other fanfics, they are all KiMa. I will also be writing more after this one.


	28. Chapter 28

** …Warning if you didn't see this coming already; though I still stand strong with the T rating… If you don't care to read it, skip to the next line break. Oh! And language… Kidd gets P'Oed **

* * *

Maka was drug along by the skinny, yet surprisingly strong, man somewhere toward the back of the makeshift town. She fought with all the strength she could muster, but it simply wasn't enough to get away from the man's grimy hands. _This _was not _happening. _In bursts of strength and adrenaline, she jerked and tugged away from the old man, she was sure she even managed to bite his arm at one point, but all to no avail. He pushed her into a partially lit cabin and turned to lock the only door there was. Of course there were windows, but none she could fit through with ease.

He turned to face the frightened blonde, giving her a smile that could curdle dairy. "Now we can have some privacy…" Quicker than she could respond to, the man was right in front of her, grabbing both wrists and pinning them to the wood paneled wall behind her. He crashed his lips upon hers, which she immediately turned her head away from. She felt him grin into her neck as his hand gently ghosted up her shirt. She spat on him, the taste of his forced kiss still on her lips. It tasted strongly of cigarettes and beer; a flavor she felt nightmares were made of. Just before his hands reached their destination, she kneed him hard in the stomach, causing him to stumble backwards in surprise.

Taking advantage of his momentary daze, she rushed over to the door, frantically pawing at the handle. Putting enough of her mind together to remember how to use a doorknob, she twisted it only for it to catch on something. Right. He had locked it. Before her mind was allowed to advance past any other thought than 'Oh shit', the man grabbed her roughly by the hair and slammed her head against the wall before she was launched to a bed that she hadn't seen upon initially entered the room. He quickly straddled her before she was able to sit up and started tearing at some bed sheets, forming long, tendril-like strips, wasting no time in tying her wrists together and, ultimately, to the cast iron bed frame. "Always liked my women a little… feisty." He growled, tightening the torn sheet and earning an involuntary squeak from the girl. He grinned at such an innocent noise and began pawing at her jeans. Even through fits of relentless kicking and twisting he was finally able to remove them. He looked over to Maka with one last triumphant smirk as she tried to cross her legs in a final, desperate attempt. She faintly heard something break outside, but paid it no mind. What those drunken bastards broke was none of her concern. The man wedged a knee between her thighs, all the while taking in her innocent, pleading, frightened face. He continued to look at her, without moving for a while. Had he stopped? Did his non existent conscience decide to kick in?

No.

None of that.

She looked down to see a machete protruding from his belly and his dingy white shirt being stained crimson.

* * *

"YAHOO!" Blackstar screeched, earning the attention of just about everyone in the clearing. "Listen to your god mere mortals! Praise me!"

"Oi! Over here you drunken bastards!" Though Staz's yell wasn't as loud and impressive as the blue haired ninja's, it still got their interest.

Though it started the minute Blackstar yelled 'yahoo', the plan had already seemed to be going perfectly. Blackstar and Staz were to cause a distraction, fending off anyone that tried to stop them, while Soul and Kid searched for Tsubaki and Maka. After barging in on two makeshift bars, the two boys finally made it to a small, rundown cabin filled with women of all ages, including a hysteric Tsubaki.

"W-What's wrong?" Soul asked, unsure of what to say to the sobbing weapon.

"Where's Maka?" Kid said with a voice somewhere between breathless and a growl.

"I-I don't know! They brought her here first, a-and then they took her-"

"Where?! They took her where?!" The reaper demanded, his voice coming out far harsher than he had intended. But time was definitely of the essence, and they were quickly running out of it.

"I don't know!" She sobbed again, feeling utterly useless.

With that, Kid was on his feet and out the door, throwing words behind him. "Take care of Tsubaki and help Blackstar, I'll find Maka."

Frantic, Kid stormed in just about every building he passed searching for the blonde; but to no avail. Just as he was about to break down in absolute hysteria, he came to a locked door. This was both a good sign as well as a very bad. Not even worried about over doing it, Kid took a few steps back and charged the door, ramming into it with far more force than necessary to break down the fragile wood. He only saw darkness at first; but his breath caught as his glowing golden gaze came to the scene in the corner. He was pretty sure he felt his heart stop, but after that, blackness.

* * *

Maka simply watched in horror as the man who had just been living two seconds before, the man who had forced himself on her, who intended to _rape _her, was now dead and sliding off the end of a machete. Sliding off of it and _on top of _her. Her body completely tensed, unable to move simply due to shock… No, this wasn't just shocked, she was absolutely and utterly _terrified. Horror-struck. _There was simply no words to describe body was quickly pulled off of her and onto the floor by her rescuer; all she saw after that was a dark mass hovering over it, stabbing it repeatedly. In the chest. In the stomach. In the groin. In the arm. In the face. Stroke after stroke the body was being turned to minced meat right before her very eyes. Killing him was one thing; shredding a body was another. The distinct sucking sound of the knife entering and exiting the bloody mess made Maka's stomach turn. It was only when the blonde caught sight of the white and red stained lines that she realized who it was. "K-Kid, he's dead." Her voice was weak; weaker than she had ever heard it before.

"Fucking. Bastard. Piece of. Shitty. Garbage. Fucking. Filthy Asshole." She heard his growl sadistically. She scrambled back to the corner and let out a startled squeak as her back hit the wall. She was honestly terrified of Kid, she had never, _ever, _seen him like this. It was simply not heard of. It was like watching Barney drop the f bomb on national television, except all comedic aspects were lost.

Maka's squeak, however, made the deranged boy look up from his slaughter and turn his attention to her. She caught a flash of hatred and bloodlust in his eyes before they turned back to their normal, soft, liquid golden colored gaze. Without a second to spare, Kid threw his weapon down were it landed with a loud clank and ran to her, certain his feet couldn't carry him fast enough. Devoid of any hesitation, he scooped her up from her fetal position and into his arms.

"Shh- Maka it's ok, I'm so sorry- It's over- he's gone- your ok now- I'm here, I'm so so sorry." He held her tight and spoke as if the words couldn't come out of his mouth fast enough. Her breath came out in choked sobs which added to the tears that she didn't know had been falling down her face until now. With the sobs came fits of coughing and uncontrollable shivers. Maka was utterly repulsed with herself; since when had she become such a cry baby? She ushered the demeaning thoughts of herself from her head and grabbed fistfuls of Kid's now bloodstained jacket. She vaguely felt him rest his chin a top her head when she realized something.

"U-Uhm… K-kid?" She muttered through her muffled snivels. Her face heated as she felt him rub her back, trying to comfort her, all the while keeping her confined in a comfortable death grip. "C-can I put my jeans back on?" She mumbled, her face flushing brilliantly as she attempted to cover up her panties with her shirt.

"O-Oh, yes. Of course, of course." He muttered, turning the other direction as she went to retrieve her discarded article of clothing; she was pretty sure his face was burning just as bad as her own.

* * *

**That was a bit… dark. I don't know if that was a good thing or bad, but all I know is that it was necessary… Sorry about the shorter chapters lately, it just how the story is moving right now. Sometimes it feels right to have a longer chapter, some times it feels right to have a shorter one. It all depends on what happens next.**

**Replies~!**

**Jeager's Paradise- **Yeah, again, I do apologize for it being rushed… And yes! _No one _messes with Maka when Kidd and Soul are around, shit will simply hit the fan XD

**PenSketch- **Some freakin' sick people out there *shakes head* Aaaaaand…. Kidd to the rescue!

**Chocolateapples1432- **Thank you! And Kidd will kick all sorts of ass (or stab them to a bloody pulp like he did just now o.e) And theres a bit of bittersweet fluff there towards the end… Kinda… Sorta… ish? OH NOE! Don't die on me! D:

**S1T2A3R4- **And so I shall.

**Checkered Brooke- **I was going to have them sneak… But there is simply no sneaking with Blackstar XD I even wrote half the chapter where they were sneaking around, but even then he seemed INCREDIBELY ooc, so I just did this, the 'ole decoy method.

"Or are you going to let her get assaulted a little bit first?" I swear I'm not a sadist! XD But I sort of needed that to happen…

**Hawkllama- **I wish I could've had Maka kick some ass, because trust me, writing Maka power is awesome, but I needed Kidd to save her, plus, they beat the living crap out of her while she was unconscious, so no Maka power for the moment :/

**Shell-Kun- **I'm sorry! It just felt right to end it there… Some chapters will just be shorter than others :/

**Sidney Isabella- **Okey dokey, will do! And thank you!

**XxDeathTheKid4EverxX- **I don't really have a pattern, I just upload them when I've finished the chapter after it. It's actually amazing that I even update as often as I do, but unfortunately, it will take longer sometimes due to school crap XP

**SecretFantacs- **I think we squared things away through messaging XD

**Mikaela- **Yus! They finally are! And you guys thought I killed them. Psssshhh, I love Soul too much. He like… My third favorite character. But Blackstar on the other hand….

**Khfan12- **Unfortunately, I really don't know much about Soul's brother because I've only really watched the anime. Though I am currently reading the manga, I'm like on chapter 30, so I haven't even gotten to that part.

**RosesInThe Shade- **Well, I think Kidd has his end of things covered O.e But the Blackstar and Soul scenes will be in the next chapter ^^

**Courage-Earthworm'8- **Hahahahaha 'Kidd! Go save your princess!' that really got me. I just literally started laughing (its like 2 am) and woke my dog up. She's pissed at me now XD And yus! The peanuts!

**Juvieyumi2500- **Whatcha sorry for? No need to be sorry! You were just asking a question ^^ Hope you liked the chapter!


	29. Chapter 29

**It's been far too long guys, I know. I've been putting all my extra time and effort into finishing my Beelzebub skateboard replica and haven't really had a chance to write. Now that I'm done (besides getting red wheels…), maybe I can update sooner? I also had to re-write this chapter a few times… So yeah. **

* * *

"Ok, Maka. Stay here I'll be-"

"Was that… _Blackstar _I heard yelling?" Maka murmured as she squirmed slightly in Kid's arms, her mind slowly drifting back to full consciousness. After re-clothing, she practically fainted; Kid could only guess that between the time she was taken to now she had received a concussion. The scythe meister wiggled in his grip again, trying to get comfortable. Though carrying her bridal style like this was the most efficient way, moving at the speed Kid was going caused his arm and hand to brush up against a collection of bruises on the back of the small girl's knees. And shoulders. And, well, everywhere; every inch of her body seemed to ache and protest. They really must've done a number on her while she was passed out (1).

Slowing down and finally stopping, Kid let his eyes meet Maka's for the first time since she had been kidnapped; but he quickly looked away. He didn't deserve to see such beauty. Sure he was the one who saved her, but he was the reason why she had gotten captured in the first place. He looked around the clearing and used his soul perception. It was fairly clear, but he felt no souls in the immediate vicinity; meaning there weren't rotters or other men to possibly harm Maka. He gently set her down in a small concealed area between a large tree trunk and a bush. Kid glanced at her, though avoiding her eyes, and began to pace frantically, fisting his hair. Seeming to come to a conclusion he stopped and looked dead ahead. "Maka, listen to me. I don't have time to explain, I have to go back for the others. You have to understand how important it is that you _stay here. _I'll be gone… Eight minutes. Promise."

"Where are y-you… going…?" Maka's voice was getting softer as she slipped back out of consciousness. That _couldn't _be good. But at least she was safe for the living moment; he almost winced as he recalled the scene he had witnessed just before taking Maka out of the camp.

Just as he had rounded a corner, he almost watched Blackstar get beheaded from a behind attacker; luckily, the reaper had yelled out a warning just in time for the ninja to skewer the man through the gut. But if Kid hadn't been there…

His friends needed him now more than ever. _It's what Maka would want. _He told himself. How would Maka react if she heard her weapon partner had been alive all this time, but was killed during the rescue mission because Kid didn't return to help them. Once again, he looked over at the blonde just as her eyes barely slid shut. He couldn't help it; crouching down to her level, he gently planted a small kiss on her forehead before whispering "I'll be back soon. Promise."

* * *

"Yahoooo~!" Blackstar sang, though his insides knotted as he slaughtered yet another human. Not a kishin. Not a witch, but a _human. _Of course he absolutely loathed every last one of these filthy scumbags, there was just something about killing a man that seemed to twist his soul in uncomfortable ways.

"Blackstar, switch!" Soul screeched over the yelling men crowding him.

Raising his hands to blindly catch the weapon being thrown at him, Blackstar smiled as he felt the familiar chain in his palms. It was good to have his weapon partner back. As soon as the chain scythe was in his grasp, the blue haired boy tossed his samurai sword, in its sheath, over to Soul who caught it and flashed his signature shark-like grin. They then shared a look with Staz; though he was some distance away, he looked ready to give these guys hell.

Someone was already coming at Soul before he was able to unsheathe his weapon, so he simply took it by the hilt, holding it like one would a baseball bat, and swung as hard as he could, knocking the man out cold as well as sending the sheath clattering to the ground across the clearing. One man after another began to close in on the two. Though Soul was inexperienced when it came to wielding a sword, he was still very effective; seeing as very, _very _few men seemed to go within blades distance of Soul, and the ones who did were too drunk to even dodge a hit. For this, he was grateful. The white haired scythe wasn't a killer, not to humans anyways. _But these are different circumstances…_ He tried to remind himself. Another drunk bastard had stumbled in Souls range and showed no sign of moving. He tightened his grip on the hilt. _They hurt Maka! _Gritting his teeth, he speared the man on the blade and used his foot to kick the body off the end, all the while trying to ignore the fact that he had just murdered someone. Soul backed up back to back with Blackstar and turned to grin at the blue haired assassin.

They were surrounded.

By this time, just about everyone in the community was well aware of their unexpected intruders and was either crowding around the four teens or at the doors of makeshift bars, cheering and screaming profanities. The fight was easily a hundred to four. The white haired boy couldn't help but smirk when he noticed all the kidnapped women, now completely forgotten by the men, were filing out of the cabins with light, quick steps and disappearing into the woods.

"You ready for this?" Soul muttered darkly, earning a snort from the young ninja.

"Of course I'm ready." He almost laughed, "What kind of god would I be if I couldn't kill a few humans…" His voice trialed of and Soul was able to conclude even the great Blackstar was a little wary about their upcoming mission. "Tsubaki," He spoke, kicking back a man who had stumbled, drunkenly, in front of the boy. "Are you sure you're ok to do this?" His weapon's bare profile appeared in the glare of the blade and gave a dark smirk with a nod. Blackstar grinned widely in return. "Lets do this, then."

At his word, both boys pushed off from one another's backs and launched themselves into full on battle. Quicker then he had expected, two men, seemingly sober, began stabbing at Soul immediately. Fortunately he had been able to dodge them, only earning a few cuts through his jacket and shallower ones yet on his cheeks. After dodging a few punches, he was able to easily land a blow from his sword down on one of the guy's shoulders, causing him to stumble back, clutching his bloody wound. He smirked his sharky grin before rounding on the other guy, who had apparently found a buddy, and their brawl soon turned into a flurry of punches and a poorly swung samurai sword. No matter how much he wanted to think he had come accustom to the weapon, he was still far from being a pro.

Blackstar gripped a chain scythe in both hands, figuring a weapon in both hands was better than a single ninja sword. He didn't hesitate digging the shiny blades deep within the stomachs of two dangerous looking men. _These bastards… They're gonna pay for what they did to Tsubaki and Maka… I'll teach them to mess with friends of a god! _With another ferocious growl, Blackstar shed the scythes of the now deceased bodies and threw all his weight into stabbing another advancing body in the gut. He paused for a moment when he felt his weapon's soul quiver. _These men took you from us! Do you know what they could've done to you…? They didn't did they-? _

_ They're still human souls, Blackstar. _Tsubaki's calm voice swam in his mind. _They aren't kishin. Of course they are terrible human beings, they are still just that. They aren't on the list. _

A sharp pang to the shoulder brought Blackstar back from his internal conversation with Tsubaki. He quickly grabbed the hand that wielded the knife in his shoulder and yanked it hard, sending a rather skinny man to the ground. Rather than stabbing him with Tsubaki, he let his foot hit him square in the forehead, knocking him unconscious. _Thank you, Blackstar. _Mere seconds after, he was thrown into yet another scrimmage against three other men, each a head taller than Blackstar himself.

Staz, armed with two decent sized machetes, hacked at everyone he came in contact with, trying to push away any moral conscience he had. He slashed at yet another man's throat, all the while a small voice telling him to run. _You have no real reason to be fighting these guys. They took _their _friends; not yours. Just run. Leave. Surely you'll get off scot-free. You won't need to look after anyone but yourself… _Staz's body was on auto-pilot, dodging blades and fists with ease, all the while landing his own blows. If he wasn't having internal conflict, he would be thanking his brother for forcing him into taking those advanced martial arts classes. No. Staz grit his teeth, pushing away all thoughts of abandonment from his mind. _These people helped me, have befriended me, have even taken me in as one of their own. What kind of scum would I be just to leave them like that in the middle of battle? _He snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see a man sneaking up on Blackstar. "Look out!" He growled, kicking away a man in front of him and reaching the other man just before his blade dug into the ninja's shoulder.

Blackstar looked up at him with a grateful smirk. "Tryin' to steal my spotlight, are you?" He joked. Staz simply gave him a reassuring smirk.

Soul grunted as he threw yet another lifeless body off his back. This one had tried to sneak up on him but instead received a belly full of sharpened blade. Though he hadn't received any threatening wounds, the fight was wearing on him. He wasn't sure he could take much more, they just kept _coming. _"Let out the biters!" A slurred voice yelled above the rest, earning sever grunts and cheers of people in the masses. Their cheers soon grew into loud chants and demands. "Biters, biters!" Everyone stopped fighting and simply cheered. Soul, Blackstar and Staz shared uneasy looks as their grips tightened around their weapons.

"Fall back!" A single voice screamed, though it's owner was unidentified. Several grumbles interrupted the chanting, but only slightly; angry voices were still demanding for the dead to be released, whatever _that _meant. The angry chants continued, but soon the anger was directed back on the four teens, punches and blades coming much more rapidly and all at once. A single pistol fired and a guy to Blackstar's left fell over, dead. Everything went silent. "I said fall back, dammit!" The voice yelled again, but this time, Soul could see a largely built man with a shock of spiky orange-red hair and a sinister grin plastered on his tanned skin. Several of the men furrowed their brow, but did as they were told and slowly slunk back to the bars.

"Hey! Waitta second!" Blackstar yelled, throwing his hands in the air, dropping Tsubaki were she transformed into her human self. He began to run after them, but Tsubaki caught his wrists.

"Blackstar, no." Soul said, dusting dirt off his jacket, looking over at his best friend. "We've got Maka and Tsubaki. I have no reason to keep fighting. Let's go."

Blackstar grit his teeth and followed reluctantly, all the while keeping an eye on the men who slunk back into their drunken way of life. He whipped his head around as they neared the tree line, hearing something headed for them, and fast. As if on queue, Tsubaki's scythe form was in his hands and he saw Soul and Staz getting into an offensive stances. Fortunately, all this effort was for nothing, and they all let out a breath of relief as they saw it was Kid who had been rushing towards them through the foliage.

* * *

Soul was able to brief Kid on what had happened after he went to look for Maka, which wasn't really much other than fighting, but the reaper seemed just as perplexed at one small detail.

_"Let out the biters?" _Kid repeated, making a face.

"Yeah, and they all seemed to know what he meant." The white haired boy replied, strategically dodging a low hanging branch with as little noise as possible. "So it couldn't've been just the alcohol talking. They all seemed riled up about something…"

"Yeah, whatever it is, I don't like the sound of it…" Kid trailed off. He knew he should be worried about the entire night's events, but his mind continued to wander of to the injured blonde he had stowed away somewhere in the woods. At least maybe with the gang back together she can make a full recovery… If she was still there… If nothing had come to harm her in his absence… His pace quickened significantly as they neared where Maka was. He had to know the girl was ok; he needed her to be ok. "Maka?" Kid called, coming to the place where he last saw the girl.

"K-Kid?" He heard a voice croak as a few bushes rustled and finally revealed the petite girl leaning heavily on a tree trunk. Kid smiled and let out a sigh in relief; at least she was standing now. "Maka, you're ok-"

"Maka?"

"Soul… Soul!" The girl gasped, holding a hand up to her mouth, then ran over to the white haired scythe. He gave his famous pointed teeth smile, and embraced the girl in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her a few times. "Soul… I thought you were gone…" She muttered, clinging to her weapon, face buried deep in his dirty jacket.

"I thought you were to…" He sighed, resting his cheek against her ear.

Kid stood back, a smile on his face as he watched the reunion of weapon and meister; he could even see tears forming in the white haired scythe's crimson eyes. He honestly felt as if he had been kicked in the gut, but seeing the smile on the small blonde's face made it all worth while, and then some; though as the hug grew longer and longer, Kid could slowly feel that smile on his face ebb away.

* * *

**(1) No, she did not get raped while she was unconscious; they just beat the living shit out of her while she was down. Real manly, huh? **

**Yet again, I am terribly sorry for this taking so long. I'm so sorry to disappoint you all… **

**Replies~!**

**Checkered Brook- **Ok, good, so I'm not the only one! I mean, with a character like Maka who is just so innocent (in that particular aspect) Something like this is MAJOR. As Crona would say, Maka just wouldn't know how to handle it; making miss independent needing someone to rescue her, like it or not. And ooh, good predictions! I always love reading these cause they're just so interesting, they help you know what the reader is expecting so you can go in a different direction to add a twist :)

**Shell-kun- **Yes, I am a big fan of blood and gore myself! ( From one blood and gore fan to another, if you haven't heard of it; I highly suggest the comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, it is VERY VERY gory in a cartoonish way, but it's really good either way) Oh and tell your friend I said thank you!

**Giraffe Overlord- **Orly? I'm funny? Sweet! And yes, much romantic tension sure to come, now that Soul is back… I gots some plans up my sleeves for this one. And ooooh… I remember middle school… *gives the Excalibur face* yeah… Not the best of times for me XD

**PenSketch- **I know… *sigh* We just keep telling him and telling him, but _Nooo, _he does it anyways… Oh well! It made for a good chapter XD

**SecretFantacs- **Absolutely, and he didn't even really use his powers, that was pure rage… Imagine that rage with his powers O.e Now that's a sight to be afraid of…

**Hawkllama- **Hell yeah! Kidd kicks major ass :D

**Mikaela- **Yeah, the mood did sort of call for it. I mean, really looking at it, I don't see how he could be any less angry. He's just finding out he loves this girl, and then she goes and gets kidnapped and he walks in on her almost getting raped? Hell no, someone is going to be mince meat XD

**ShyBandGirl- **Yeah, it is really cute if you think about it. In a gory, bloody kind of way; but still cute all the same!

**PyschopathicXangel- **Yeah, he does seem more mature, doesn't he? I guess the apocalypse sort of forces you to grow up, like it or not. Makes you deal with things you wouldn't normally have to deal with. And I'm right there with you! I think Kidd needs to help a girl out! XD

**Juvieyumi2500- **Yeah, that was kind of funny, I needed a bit of comedic relief for writing that dark chapter and the awkward one before it… And also I believe it is very possible for there to be some sort of a love triangle… Stay tuned ;)


	30. Chapter 30

"Who are you?!" Robin growled, trotting out of the cave as he looked over the three newcomers emerging from the bushes. Soul stopped at the tiny voice and looked down.

"I could ask you the same." The white haired teen tilted his head, squinting his eyes at the small black haired boy.

"Robin? What's all the commotion, are they ba-" Liz stopped dead in her tracks as she took in her long lost friends. "Soul! Tsubaki! Blackstar!" The elder twin pistol screeched, drawing the three of them into a bone crushing hug. "You guys are ok!"

"Nice… to see you too… Liz…" Soul choked out, then let out a sigh and the blonde let the three of them go. "Hey Maka, whose the kid?" He questioned, his red eyes returning to the growling child.

"Oh, that's right. You guys haven't met yet. Soul, this is Robin. We found him not long after we all got split up. Robin, this is Soul. He's my weapon partner. Kind of like Liz and Patty are to Kid… Speaking of Patty, where is she?"

"The suns been up for a few hours and she's still sleeping." Liz rolled her eyes. "I'm not even sure if she realized what's going on."

"So you turn into a gun?" Robin questioned, beginning to pull at and examine Soul's clothing. "And who are you? Why is your hair blue?" He looked over at Blackstar, who beamed, happy the attention was on himself. "And you! Who are you? You're kinda pretty, so I don't think you're a weapon. What do you do?"

* * *

"So… What happened to you guys?" Maka asked, looking up at her weapon partner who had draped his arm comfortably around her. They had all agreed to put a hold on all the questions until they got back to the safety of the cave, but now that they were all together, the blonde couldn't hold back any longer.

"Well, where do you want me to start?" He chuckled. "It's been a long… How long has it been? I lost count a few months ago… Or at least I think it was a few months ago…" He trailed off.

Maka shrugged, and no one else seemed to have any idea either. "Start from the beginning, when I passed out."

"Oh. Right." Soul cleared his throat, getting ready for his long winded speech. "After I told Blackstar to take you away, I knew I wouldn't stand a chance. I was almost sure I was done for, and I would have been if Tsubaki hadn't come back." He looked over at the dark haired girl with a grateful smile, who in turn, blushed. "Initially she was looking for Blackstar, not wanting to leave her meister's side, but when she saw my state, she stayed and helped me. I was still swinging my blade around, as much as I could with my injuries anyways, I wasn't going to let those flesh eaters have me without a fight," He showed off his sharky grin. "Just as I was almost completely over run, Tsubaki showed up. We were able to hack down a few more, but they just kept coming. Then Tsubaki had the idea of using her smoke bomb so we could get away. Luckily, the bomb caught them off guard and they just froze for a moment, like they were stunned. I never understood why, but I was grateful for it."

"That's like what happened when I would jump on them from the trees!" Robin squeaked. "They just froze."

Kid's eyes widened, surprised that he was able to make this connection. _But why?_ He thought, completely perplexed. _Why would they just freeze out of no where like that? Was it some sort of kryptonite? Was there some connection between the two very different attacks he was over looking? _Soul's story brought him out of his thoughts.

"Anyways, the rotters were stunned long enough for Tsubaki and I to get into one of the lower levels of the building. I knew Blackstar would come back for me, and once he did, we were all able to make it out of there ok. We went back to where Blackstar had left you… But you were gone… And we thought…" He trailed off, his arm tightening around Maka. Robin squinted his eyes at the two. He didn't like this white haired person. He just _looked _like a bad guy; with his sharp pointy teeth and his bright red eyes… And why was he all over Maka? Weren't Kid and Maka supposed to be together? He looked over at the reaper with a questioning look to find him watching the scythe and meister just as closely as he was. The small boy couldn't help but smirk to himself; if he needed to, Kid could beat up this guy, no problem. At least he wasn't the only one sensing an off vibe about him.

And the blue haired guy. Robin turned his icy colored eyes to Blackstar, who was now flipping a small knife around on his fingers. The boy watched in awe as the ninja didn't seem to be cutting himself, not once, but was still able to get the blade to move across his fingers so rapidly. He had to admit, he seemed pretty cool. That led him to Tsubaki. He eyed her for a minute then shrugged. She was a girl. He didn't expect to be spending much time around her anyways.

* * *

That same day, Blackstar, Soul and Maka went to retrieve the items from their old camp and bring them back to the cave. It seemed they had been living primarily off of scavenged goods rather than off the land seeing as they had cases filled with instant ramen, soups and a variety of other goods (and even some tea, much to Maka's delight). Though they obviously had a surplus of store not-so-bought items, they still decided it would be best to continue fishing and hunting for some of their food.

"Wow, Tsubaki! This is amazing! You didn't have to go all out like this!" Liz spoke through a mouthful of rice and freshly caught fish.

"Well, it is sort of a special occasion. We're finally all back together again. And even with a few new friends." She smiled over at Robin who was gorging himself on instant mashed potatoes. She really had over done herself. After Staz had returned with four large catfish and Maka and Robin returned with two squirrels (one of which, Robin proudly announced, he had caught), they had skinned and cleaned them then handed them over to Tsubaki, who in turn cooked them as well as open their large bag of rice and a box of instant mashed potatoes. Though they had used some of their supplies, none of them seemed to be complaining. It was a special occasion, after all. "You know, Maka." The blonde looked over at the dark haired weapon. "I never knew Soul had such a low pain tolerance." She giggled, trying to make dinner conversation.

"What?! Do not! I fight and get hurt just as much as you guys!" The white haired boy growled defensively, caught off guard by the sudden attack.

"Oh, no. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you don't do your fair share of fighting. I'm just recalling that bee sting on your wrist…" Tsubaki smiled innocently, gently taking a bite of cooked squirrel.

"A bee sting?" Maka laughed.

"Oh yeah! I remember that!" Blackstar announced, louder than was necessary. "He was whining about it for days! You'd've though someone cut his arm off!" He laughed, causing Patty to let off a chortle of her own.

"Did not!" Soul grumbled, stuffing his mouth to give him an excuse for lack of come backs.

"You know, Soul. I guess I could understand." Kid smirked, not wanting to pass up a chance of poking fun at the scythe. "Bee stings are pretty nasty… And I can only assume it stung you on one wrist and not the other, leaving it terribly asymmetrical…" He tried to hold back a chuckle, but full on grinned as everyone, including Maka and excluding Soul, almost died in terrible fits of laughter.

"In my defense I'm not used to living outside in all this." Soul gestured his hand vaguely around. "And it was where my wrist bends!... So uncool…" He muttered, poking at his rice.

Maka sighed in content as the laughter died down. "It's good to have my family back." She smiled.

* * *

**Friendly reminder about the drawing contest! This fiction is rapidly drawing to a close and I unfortunately have a lack of contest entries. All entries are much appreciated! Thanks for being such awesome reader you guys! **

**Replies~!**

**Shell-kun- **Haha yeah, I am proud to say I painted a life sized silhouette of Nny on the back of my door. 'Tiz beautiful. And yeah, daggers are pretty fun, I'm not sure what my weapon would be… I really like archery, but its so limited… I'd probably end up with a scythe or chained scythe… I made you fangirl? Whoo hoo! I'll take that as a compliment XD Cyberfive back at ya!

**Giraffe Overlord- **The description says KiMa, but I'm starting to make you wonder, huh? :) and cool! I'm happy to be an inspiration ^^

**Checkered Brooke- **Oh yes, and fun it will be… Or won't be… I'm trying hard to not make this your average zombie apocalypse…

**Pensketch- **Yeah poor Kidd. In comes Soul to steal his girl :( Oh well, lets see how things play out.

**Courage- **Earthworm, yes? Haha and yes, jealous Kidd is jealous.

**SecretFantics- **Sorry Kidd! *gives cookie* hang in there! And as much as I would like to comfort him; I do fear the Maka-chops I may receive…

**Mikaela- **Thank you so much for that! I was really iffy on the fight scene, I even wrote the whole chapter then realized Staz just disappeared from my writing and I had to go re-write him back in the chapter . but thank you for that reassurance!

**Hawkllama- **Oh yes, a possible love triangle indeed.

**Khfan- ***queue dramatic music here*

**D.T.K.D.R- **Sorry for the bombardment of chapters! ^^'

**Juvieyumi2500- **Yeah, the reunion of Soul and Maka bring around so many possibilities… *wrings hands together evilly*


	31. Chapter 31

"You've been awfully quiet." Kid commented, looking over at the small boy sitting next to him, a makeshift fishing pole in hand. Robin simply shrugged and looked gloomily out at the waters in front of them. Kid and Robin had been put on 'fishing duty', Maka and Soul were hunting, Liz and Patty were collecting and filtering water and Staz, Blackstar and Tsubaki were rotter hunting. Since the group had united a week ago and decided they would stay at the cave for a while longer, they figured they should have a daily 'rotter hunting' to at least thin out some of the rotter crowds. "So what do you think of everyone?" Kid started, trying to make small talk.

"Blackstars pretty cool. He can do some pretty neat tricks and he's really strong. He's a good fighter." Kid nodded in agreement at the boy's statement. "And Tsubaki makes good food. Don't tell Maka or Staz this, but I think Tsubaki might be a better cook." Robin grinned at the statement. Kid was quiet, and waited for his final friend's evaluation from the eyes of the small boy; but it never came.

"And what about Soul?" He prodded, honestly curious of what the child thought of the scythe.

Robin was silent for quite awhile as he fidgeted with his fishing pole before he finally spoke. "I miss how things used to be…" He muttered.

Kid let out a sigh, and hesitantly rested his hand on the boy's shoulders. "We all do. No one wants to live in a world with rotters."

"No… I mean, when the others weren't here." Robin wouldn't meet Kid's eyes. "When it was just you, me and Maka. Even with Staz, Liz and Patty it wasn't so bad… But now I can't spend time with everybody…" He frowned. "Remember that time when you, me and Maka were fishing? When we were catching the bugs for bait? That was one of the best times I can remember; and that's including before the rotters… I remember Liz saying we were like a family; a mommy, a daddy, a child, two crazy aunts and an uncle. But now we just seem like a group…" He knit his eyebrows and hid his face. "I don't really get to spend time with Maka anymore. She's always with Soul, o-or Tsubaki, or too busy-" his small voice was interrupted by sobs, but he finally looked up and faced Kid, his face flushed and tears welling in his eyes. "Th-They took Maka away!" He sniffed, "Th-The last time I went hunting with her w-was the day _they _got here. N-now I hardly see her! A-And you don't either!" At this point, Robin had flung himself at Kid, clutching on his jacket, tears steadily streaming. Kid frowned, unsure of what to do other than comfort the small boy with and arm around his petite frame. This was so out of character for Robin; it must've been eating at him for some time. "I s-see the way you look at her! I know you see it t-too. They've taken Maka away from _both _of us and it's _not fair! _You don't even offer to take jobs with her, she always goes out with _Soul." _He spat the name as if it were venom.

Kid searched for words of comfort, but drew a blank; so he decided just to go with the truth. Or part of it anyways. "Soul and Maka have been friends longer than I have known them. Of course they're going to want to be together a lot." The reaper tried to ignore the lump in his throat as he said it. "A-And we can still be that family. But this family, just like all others, is growing. Now we have more members, and we just have to all get along." He began stumbling over his own words as he contemplated his group of friends being an actual family; and who exactly filled the place of 'mom and dad' in the small boy's eyes.

"But you and Maka are better!" Robin proclaimed.

"What do you mean we're better?"

"Maka's the mommy; and you were the daddy, but now _Soul _is here and _I don't want him to be the daddy! _You're better! You and Maka are better! You're both smart, and you both read and you're both funny and you're both just better!"

Kid chewed at his bottom lip, not meeting the small child's face. Guilt welled in his stomach as he realized at some point he had thought these very things out of pure jealousy. He was far smarter than Soul, even the albino himself would admit to it; he could share conversations with the meister that he could never hope to understand. Of course, he and Maka clicked instantly upon meeting each other, though it had been nothing more than a friendship at the time, they still had shared their moments of conversations over their latest read or a complicated homework problem. If Kid were looking in on this situation from a third party perspective, the beautiful, smart blonde girl should end up with the OCD underdog; it was very stereotypical in romance novels. But he had to face the cold, ugly truth. Soul had been there first; he found Maka first, fair and square. He also couldn't deny that extra shine that hit the girl's eyes when she was around the scythe. The only male she had been the closest to, in her eyes, came back from the dead, and it was obvious she wasn't letting go of him. Not now. Maybe not even ever. Kid always knew this, it always ate at the back of his mind; but he hadn't faced it until now, and it hurt. He truly felt all the energy drain from his body.

"D-did you two get in a fight?" Robin muttered, wiping his snotty nose with the back of his sleeve. Right. He forgot the little boy was still crying into him.

"Hmm?" Kid hummed, not trusting his own voice. He didn't think he would cry, but his voice was sure to be shaky; he didn't want to push it.

"Y-You and M-maka… I know Soul has been hogging her… But you seem to be avoiding her. You never talk, not even when she is around…" He trailed, his sobs decreasing, but the desperation in his voice never wavered for a second. "Are you mad at her?"

Kid looked away, yet again, guilty. He _had _been avoiding Maka. At first, he didn't want to allow himself to look at the girl he let get kidnapped, but he had long since gotten over that; now it was out of pure self pity. He let his jealousy of Soul get in the way of his relationship with the girl. Thinking his answer over carefully, he finally let his gold eyes meet the small boy's blue. "I'll try and fix it… There's no guarantee…" He sighed, tightening his grip around Robin, comforting himself more than the child. "But I'll try… It's getting late. Not bad for a late start, don't you think?" The reaper asked, looking from the darkening sky to their decent collection of fish, all the while valiantly trying to change the subject. The boy shrugged, bringing in his line, tucking the pole under his arm and grabbing two fish by the lower jaw. Kid grimaced at followed after Robin's lead and collecting the other two fish.

Every since they had moved from their place in the woods to the cave, the walk to the small stream was slightly further away; leaving this particular walk back extremely quiet and long. Kid shivered as the cold began to eat through his thin jacket. The temperature over the past week seemed to do nothing but drop, leaving the group more dependent on their nightly campfires than ever. He looked up to the slowly setting sun, and more importantly, the collection of grey clouds, feeling his stomach sink at the thought of snow.

* * *

"Any luck?" The reaper looked up at the familiar sound of his weapon's voice. He gave her a half hearted smirk and lifted his fish-baring hands; she smiled in return. "Well, if you thinking optimistically about it, at least we know we won't be going hungry anytime soon." And she was right, abundance of food or lack there of hadn't particularly been an issue; that is, if you didn't mind the same meals day after day. None of them seemed to complain, however.

"Looks like Hasenpfeffer tonight!" Maka's voice chirped somewhere behind them.

"Those are huge!" Liz gasped, looking at two plump rabbits in the petite blonde's grasp. "How did you guys manage to find those?"

"_I _found and caught them." Maka muttered, giving the white haired boy trailing behind her a playful smirk. "I'm not even sure if Soul knows the difference between an arrow head and the fletching. These things left such obvious footprints; they were basically begging to be caught." Was it just him, or did Kid see Maka's eyes flash to his for a split second? He couldn't hold his stomach from doing summersaults. "Hey Staz, you mind cleaning these for me?" She called over to the brunette who was warming his hands by the slowly dying fire. "I'm going to go out for some more wood."

"I'll go with you." Kid blurted out without thinking. Everyone seemed to pause what they were doing for a moment and looked at him. Was the tension between him and the blonde really that obvious? Shock crossed Maka's expression for a split second before she regained her composure; time seemed to resume as everyone looked away, carrying on with their own business.

"Alright, sure." She shrugged, and Kid could faintly see a smile playing at the corner of her lips. Setting her hunting equipment down, she walked over to the reaper and tilted her head. "I found a few perfectly sized pieces a little ways back. You wanna go now, or…?"

"Now's fine." He replied awkwardly with a shrug. "Any later and we'll run out of daylight." Kid couldn't help but notice Robin's blue eyes grow wide as a wide grin spread across his face.

* * *

**I think it just needs to be a given that I apologize between these updates; they have been getting worse and worse and I really regret that. No matter how long it is between updates, just remember that I WILL NOT give up on this, I WILL finish it. **

**That is all.**

**No, wait.**

**I saw someone with an awesome Attack on Titan jacket at a shaved ice place today. It was epic. **_**Now **_**that is all. **

**Replies~! **

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr- **Well it all works out then. I actually stayed home 'sick' today and still didn't write crap…. I'm ashamed :/

**Guest- **Yes, no, maybe both? Hmmm I think I got a few tricks up my sleeve.

**SecretFantacs- **Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd take Maka chops for Kidd, but at the same time I think Maka would do a better job at comforting him than I ever could XD

**S1T2A3R4**- Haha! The next episode? And maybe, I dunno. *coughIkindaforgotaboutitcough*

**Shell-kun- **Thank you! I love writing witty comedy just almost as much as I enjoy writing gory stuff. Ohh! And I hope to see a picture of that some day when it's finished, it sounds cool!

**Chocolateapples1432- **A fight for a girl between both Soul and Kidd would be rather interesting, like as in a fist fight. And angry Kidd kinda scared me a bit. Just a bit. But thanks for the compliments!

**Khfan12- **You know all little kids just judge people by their looks XD Robins just smart enough not so voice his thoughts. And the rotter drama is over for now… but what about the rest of it all?

**Mikaela- **I know! It only took like what, 25 or so chapters? Oh, and those guys? I guess we'll just seem about them… And this is a KiMa story, after all :) more is sure to come.

**Giraffe Overlord- **There are some many because it's hinted at SO MUCH in both the manga and anime. I have to admit, I shipped SoMa when I first started watching it, but then I converted to KiMa after seeing some of its fan art. And sorry about the updates, it's my senior year and I'm juggling highschool, college and I'm looking at universities.

**Juvieyumi- **But of course he is! Why not?


	32. Chapter 32

The journey to the location Maka had described as 'a firewood haven' had been fairly uneventful and even more awkward. It was obvious they wished to speak to each other, even if it was simple small talk, but whenever one would turn to look at the other, an impending conversation on their tongue, all words seemed to vanish and their head would snap back to its hanging position, eyes fixated on their feet. After a few minutes of failed speech, Kid settled on trying not to speak at all, unless provoked, of course. Instead of busying his mind with what to say, he simply raised his head and observed his surroundings. He should be happy, shouldn't he? He was alone, yet again, with the girl he was certain he harbored feelings for. What does it matter that they weren't speaking? If they were upset with each other, that would be a different story, but they were simply both in a mutual silence. The situation only felt awkward to him because he made it feel awkward.

He couldn't help but let a small smile creep on his face. He was alone, yet again, with Maka; and it wasn't under forced circumstances. As his eyes scanned the bare trees and bushes around him, the young shinigami took in, for the first time, how beautiful it really was. The leaves that covered the ground were a multitude of assorted colors, both dead and alive, the bare tree branches seemed to make a variety of unique patterns against the slowly darkening sky, even the sun, though slightly covered by clouds, seemed to be tamed by the tranquility of it all (though it may also be due to the fact that it was winter). Was the increase in beauty of this hell hole really simply due to the fact he was in Maka's company? The wind picked up slightly and Kid let his eyes drift over to the scythe meister just as the breeze made contact with her placid face, causing her cheeks to flush in involuntary response. Maybe it was.

"It's just up here. I don't think we'll even have to break any of it up too much, they all seemed to be a decent length." Maka commented, her voice effectively breaking the silence.

"Well, that's convenient…" Kid muttered, awkwardly searching for something to kindle their conversation. "Hmm… I don't like the look of those clouds…It really has gotten a little chilly out here, hasn't it?"

A smile tugged at the blondes lips. "Yeah, it has." Her eyes widened slightly as she looked up at the graying sky. Her smile seemed to be contagious as Kid's mouth began to quirk upwards as well. That light. Even reflecting the dull, dark clouds, her emerald eyes shone with a new playful light as she spoke the next sentence. "I hope it snows…"

"What?!" Kid gasped before even thinking it over. That was definitely the _last _thing he would hope for! Everyone was already complaining about the cold as it was and it wasn't even anywhere near freezing. Noticing he had paused mid-step, Kid quickened his pace to catch up with the still-walking meister.

"I know, stupid, right? Snow would be horrible for us right now, without shelter and all; but no matter how much I tell myself I don't want it to snow, the more the voice in the back of my head wishes for it. I've only ever seen it snow once, and I was only 8 at the time… All I remember is that it was so beautiful… Everything was so pure and soft…" Maka trailed off, reminiscing in an old memory.

Kid was about to comment on how it was a shame that it hardly ever snowed in Death City, and how the chances for it to snow were next to null, but he bit his tongue and simply stole glances at the girl walking next to him in a dreamy state. He recalled the snow day Maka was remembering quite well; he was sick at the time and remembered cursing the horrible weather for giving him such an illness. Again, he decided to withhold this information from Maka. Against his better judgment, Kid wished it would snow as well.

"Up there!" Maka pointed just up ahead where decent firewood logs lay lazily, just begging to be carried away and burnt up by the teens. They collected their pieces in a comfortable silence and headed back to the cave.

"You weren't kidding. I think this might last us at least two nights." The reaper commented, shifting the weight of the wood into a more comfortable position.

"Unless it snows." Maka grinned, bumping into Kid's shoulder playfully.

"Right. Of course. Unless it snows." He chuckled, relief flooding over him as he realized the blonde wasn't so naïve to truly believe it might snow. Frost maybe, but not snow.

"You know what sounds really good right now?"

"Hmm?"

"Hot tea." Maka purred, a hum of delight lacing her voice.

"You know, that actually does sound good…" Kid sighed with longing, almost able to feel the warm liquid running down his throat. "You're a cruel person, you know that? Tempting me with such greatly missed creature comforts." He joked, bumping into her shoulder just as she had done moments ago.

"We have some, you know." She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him fully to take in his expression. "I could make some when we get back."

"I just might have to take you up on that offer." Kid smirked, his heart feeling lighter than it had for days. This was what he missed, casual, yet playful conversations with the blonde meister. In the past, the thought of conversations like these had been so foreign to him seeing as his tone was generally professional to uphold his father's image, but with Maka… Things just seemed different. A good different. "Thank you."

She smirked. "It's just tea." Kid smiled but didn't reply; it was so much more than just tea…

"It's about time you guys got back! The fires almost out!" Liz chirped from inside the cave as the two neared their makeshift home. The older sister walked out rubbing her hands together as if that bit of friction would warm her entire body.

"We weren't out there _that_ long." Maka retorted, though her voice still held that playful air to it.

"Well hurry up and get those logs on the fire, I'm freezing!" The blonde grinned and winked at Kid when Maka wasn't looking. "Sooo? How'd it go?" She purred once the scythe meister had passed and was out of earshot. Damn Liz and her teenage girl senses…

"How did what go?" Kid raised an eyebrow. Sometimes it was just easiest to play dumb with the pistol. He walked past his weapon with a small grin, his mood substantially lighter than it had been when he left, and everyone seemed to catch on and feed off of that positive energy. Everyone except…

"Hey, Kid… You mind if we have a little… Talk?" Soul's tone was neither positive nor hostile, but with the white haired scythe, sometimes that was when he was the most dangerous.

Kid shrugged, unfazed. He had seen this coming, though he didn't realize it would be so sudden. He looked around at the rest of the group, Maka and Tsubaki ineffectively trying to ignore Blackstar as they prepared to brew some tea, Robin was playing with Thief and Liz, Patty and Staz were exchanging small talk while trying to rekindle the slowly dying embers. No one seemed to notice the two's conversation.

Soul nodded towards the mouth of the cave, gesturing that they should take their conversation outside and Kid followed his lead, any playful, light-hearted feelings were replaced with a cool, professional mannerisms.

* * *

**Yeah… I know…**

**Replies~!**

**Checkered Brook- **Yeah, that just doesn't particularly seem like Kidd's style. I would absolutely love to give Robin a hug! He'd probably shank me though… Oh, the joys of being an apocalypse child…

**Giraffe Overlord- **I'm actually seriously considering going to Sam Houston for computer animation, it's in state and has my major so… *shrugs* why not? It'd be easy to get in with the grades and recommendations I have. And I've never actually read a SoMa… Not that I hate like SoMa, it just seems to only work for me in the actual series and not in made up fics. Oh! And I'll read your stories if you want, I'll just have to find time, so don't expect anything super soon ^^' sorry.

**Courage-Earthworm- **No! Don't die! It's not good for you D:

**Mikaela- **I do believe Robin is a huge KiMa fan XD Man, wouldn't that be a crazy family? Liz and Patty as aunts…

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr- **That's no good o.o Oh well, I kinda waited super long on this chapter, so I really have no room to judge…

**SecretFantacs- **I know… That feels train can be a biotch sometimes, can't it?

**Samurai5461- **I actually thought about what would happen to Excalibur… And actually I came up with the same conclusion you did. He annoys the hell out of the rotters, but there's no one there to take him out of the ground, so he stays put.

**Shell-kun- **Even Robin is a KiMa shipper :D oooh, that sounds pretty cool!

**Juvieyumi2500- **Sorry about the long wait for this chapter! Tell your puppy I'm sorry as well!

**Guest- **I think Robin is just one big ball of adorableness with a knife XD and wow, one go? I was actually looking it up, and this fic almost has as many words as the first Harry Potter book o.o I almost flipped.

**Ringochan- **Thank you so much for such compliments! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope you continue to read and enjoy it!

**PyschopathicXangel- **Sorry for the wait…


	33. Chapter 33

"You needed to speak with me, Soul?" Kid question innocently once they were well outside the cave and out of earshot from their friends. Soul turned to look at the reaper, his eyes sliding over him from head to toe, then back to the curious, not so innocent golden gaze.

"So you and Maka were on your own for some time, weren't you?" He managed to hiss after a pregnant silence. So that was what this was about. Kid internally rolled his eyes; he knew this conversation would have to happen sooner or later despite the zombie apocalypse.

"Well, yes… Actually, we did find Robin shortly after the group had been separated, but it was just the three of us for quite awhile." Kid shrugged, trying to keep a casual tone in his voice, fighting to keep a flush from his cheeks as the memories of his and the blonde's night in the cave tried to infiltrate his thoughts. Soul laughed dryly, not meeting the young shinigami's eyes.

"Just you two and the kid?" He said, shaking his head, eyes suddenly interested in the forest floor. "Must've been nice." Kid's eyes never left the albino. He hadn't been around him in months, and situations like these can turn even the most honest man into something savage over small things. The scythe's soul was radiating nothing but pure anger and hatred; the reaper couldn't help but let his next thought turn into words that flowed fluidly out of his mouth.

"It was rather nice, actually. Despite the constant fear for our lives, we did have our fun." That hit a nerve. In an instant, Kid was pinned to a nearby tree by a black and red blade to the neck.

"What did you do to my meister?" Soul growled, his nose mere inches from Kid's.

"I've done nothing to her."

"Bullshit." Soul hissed, his free hand reaching up to clutch the front of Kid's shirt. "I see how you look at her. How she looks at you. No telling _what _you've done to her." He spat, his grip getting tighter. "I'm going to ask again. _What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?" _

Kid sighed, it was really quite sad how easily he could've gotten out of this situation, Soul's anger was completely taking over his body, and he left several openings for a counter attack, but the shinigami knew he had this coming. He always knew in the back of his mind if he truly wanted Maka, he'd have to go through Soul; but after seeing how happy she had been with the albino once he returned, Kid really began to rethink his actions. "I promise you, I have done nothing to harm her." The reaper figured honesty was the best policy in this case. "But, I cannot deny that I harbor feelings for her. That being said, I understand my feelings cannot go any further than an admiration from afar. I was under the false impression that she may feel the same for me, but after seeing how happy she is with you, I would never be able to forgive myself if I were to ruin what the two of you have. She may be the right one for me, but it is blatantly obvious I am not the right one for her while you are in her life. You have no need to fear, I will not stand in you're way to Maka's heart."

Soul furrowed his brows at the raven haired boy, his crimson eyes scrutinizing his face; the silence was unbearable to Kid. He literally jumped as Soul let out a roar of laughter that was surely heard from inside the cave. He tilted his head as the scythe laughed, confusion comically obvious on his face. "Wait a second, wait a second. My way to what? Tiny-tit's heart?" Soul said in between gasps for air. "Oh this is gold…" He shook his head, letting his fist go, but making no move to transform his blade back to his arm. "What do you take me for?"

"I beg your pardon?" Kid stuttered.

"Don't think you can get off that easy, reaper." Soul wiped a tear from his eye before turning his attention back to the befuddled death god. "Just because you made me laugh doesn't mean we still don't have issues here." The scythe went from tears of mirth to cold and deadly in a matter of a few words. "Maka is the most kind hearted, bad ass fighter I've ever seen in my life, and I'll be damned if I sit back and watch some preppy reaper scum break her as if she were an unwanted toy." His stare was eerie, the glow from his naturally colored crimson eyes adding to this effect. He paused for a moment as if her were thinking things over, but when Kid shifted his weight to stand in a more comfortable position; Soul was brought back to reality. "If… If you want to be with Maka, I might be ok with that… You're a cool guy," He half heartedly gave his signature grin; he still seemed to be debating with himself. "But if you hurt her, in any way…" He growled, almost demonically, "mentally _or _physically… Let's just say there will be one less reaper mixed in with this apocalypse mess." Finally, Soul let arm slide back into its human form.

As if on queue, the blonde meister's voice rang through the trees just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "Hey Kid, Soul! Get your asses in here; I'm done with the tea!" The reaper couldn't help but grin at the feistiness of the blonde, which didn't go unnoticed by Soul. The albino let out a sigh he didn't know he had been holding and started back for the cave.

"Treat her well. She deserves it." He said in a half whisper, though Kid knew it was meant for his ears. He wasn't entirely sure what exactly had just happened, but Kid felt as if a fifty ton weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Was this really what was holding him back from getting closer to Maka? Maybe not, but the fact that Soul was ok with it and there was nothing going on between him and his beautiful meister definitely seemed to lift his spirits.

Kid jumped slightly as the ash blonde meister that had resided in his thoughts seconds before bounded up to him, a small Styrofoam cup in hand and a broad smile on her face. His mind momentarily vacant from her sudden appearance, he took the cup, peered inside then muttered a 'thank you' with a smile before taking a sip. He felt his muscles relax and shoulders slump slightly at the feel of the warm liquid sliding down his throat on such a chilly night. He didn't realize how much he had missed such a creature comfort before it was brought to him. Before he knew it, he had took a seat next to Maka without thinking and watched the tongues of fire dance before his very eyes, nothing occupying his thoughts. One by one, the group poured themselves some of the comforting substance and sat in silence, encircling the camp fire. Kid stiffened as Maka's shoulder brushed up against his when she scooted over to make room for Liz, her warm touch sending shivers down his spine; his thoughts began to go south as he swore he felt the scythe meister lean into his touch…

"Hey Maka?" The sound of the small voice made the two of them jump slightly. Maka turned around to look at the owner of the hesitant speaker who had tugged slightly on her sleeve when he spoke. "Can I… Sit by you?" Stifling a giggle, the girl nodded and began to slide even closer to Kid when Robin plopped down in her lap. Apparently his idea of sitting next to her was to sit in her lap, but she didn't protest as he yawned and leaned back against her, a satisfied smile on his face. This had been what he wanted all along. Sitting next to Maka and Kid, who in turn were sitting next to each other, drinking hot chocolate (rather than tea), his cat lazily making its way towards him, purring all the while and sitting in front of a nice, warm fire. This was far better from anything he had at home.

* * *

"What the hell is your problem, Katsuo?" A man in loose trousers and heavily stained shirt growled as he neared a man with fiery hair and cold blue eyes. "They were ambushing us! And look where its gotten us, all of our women are gone and out men are pissed!" Katsuo's gaze was hard as he looked down at the rather short man, sizing him up as if he were an ape looking menacingly at a flea; but this gaze went unnoticed by the angered man, seeing as he continued his rant. "That's what we had the bitters caged for right? In case we were attacked? Why the hell did we just run like idiots while they left scot-free-" The man choked as a large knuckled hand shot out and wrapped itself around his neck, his thumb almost meeting his middle finger.

"I'm sorry, where you saying something, Jared? Let out our bitters you say? For mere pimple-covered brats? Really now, were you that intimidated by them? Of course I'm just as angry as you are, but waste all of what we've been working for? Tsk, tsk." He shook his spiky head, looking thoroughly disappointed in his subordinate. "That doesn't sound like a very good idea to me at all. Don't worry, we'll have our revenge." He let Jared's neck free unceremoniously and continued to speak over his sputtered coughing fits. "But only when the time is right. Think smarter, Jared." Katsuo's hand slipped in his pocket and retrieved a small pistol and engraved a bullet into the man's head with a simple shrug. "Not harder." The men watching over the scene stood in a stony silence, impassive expressions on their faces. They had seen this far too many times to count; a man would believe he was smarter than Katsuo and confront him without fail and end up with a bullet in their head. It was almost comical to watch the same thing replay over and over again, week after week. "Eric." Katsuo's voice broke the silence and the observing man looked over to his leader. "Feed the biters." He kicked Jared's lifeless, now bloody, mass. "You can have his position."

* * *

**Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, I'm still writing. **

**Reviews~! (Dear lord there's a lot….)**

**Giraffe Overlord- **I think I messaged you… But I live in Dallas, Tx. But Sam Houston is actually in Huntsville. But I can definitely try to read your stories… No guarantees for any time soon though, I've been uber busy.

**BlackStormNomad- **Oh yes, KiMa is freaking adorable!

**Checkered Brooke- **Hmmm… Maybe not particularly the battle you had in mind, but there might be a battle of sorts in the near future! And I think I might've shifted the mood a bit on this one as well.

**Mikaela- **So so sorry for the late updates! (I think I should just make this a disclaimer, seeing as I always say it…) And I think it was kind of funny how their 'little talk' went. XD

**Shell-Kun- **I get that a lot, I tend to make people thirst for the green tea. I consider it my greatest super power.

**Hawkllama- **Oh, Spirit. Creeping on one innocent fan girl at a time…

**SecretFantacs- **I do apologize :p

**DeathTheKidsDinosaurRawr- **Awww… Well that's no fun D: I'm curious as to how many you had to print out to get to that point XD

**Khfan12- **Drama there shall be.

**Ringochan- **Cookie highs are always the best. Right up there next to chocolate highs. And thank you! I've actually considered being a novelist on the side, but I ultimately enjoy art and animation. And thank you again! I actually took awhile planning out my OC's to make them fit in with the Soul Eater crew. *noms cookie*

**Juvieyumi2500- ***cue dramatic music* Jealous!Soul! And that is one talented puppy you have there!

**Sancrumx- **Thanks! And yes, I predict about 10 more chapters or so, but then I will move on to writing a new fic (which is already in the making)

**Courage- **I hope you came back to life again!

**Maka Agius- **Oh, I'll finish alright. I've come too far to stop.

** - **I think Robin is a bigger shipper than us all XD

**GarGoyl- **I don't know if that is a good thing or bad! XD but wouldn't that be interesting? I think if they were in a pub, it wouldn't be all that surprising… But I will say, I do have plans for what happened to Lord Death and Spirit.

**Kiddmakalove- **Sorry for the wait. I've been busy writing scholarship and college essays…

**And all the rest were telling me to update so… Here ya go! **


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